Teach Me How to Love
by MyGlee66
Summary: What do you do when you forget the meaning of love? You don't need a dictionary for it. What if you're confused as to how love affects your body? You don't need a doctor for it. What if you find love in all the wrong places? You don't need a compass for it. It takes only the right key for the door your answers lie behind, and the strength to guide you through.
1. Prologue

Prologue

The gavel is pounded on a wooden sound block to signal the opening of the God Squad.

"I officially call the God Squad to order. Thank you guys for coming."

Mercedes Jones, the leader of the God Squad, opened up with the greeting. She sat gratified and alert in her seat in one of the classrooms in William McKinley High School.

At the tables around her were other known members of the God Squad. To her right sat a healthy-looking, greatly fit blonde boy in a red and yellow varsity letterman's jacket.

Across from her sat a pretty blonde girl, who wore all blue and grinned from ear to ear, showing her infamous dimples.

To Mercedes's left sat a boy with blackish-brown hair put in dreadlocks, holding an acoustic guitar in his strong arms.

"Our first order of business is to welcome Quinn Fabray back into the fold." Mercedes faced Quinn's direction, and the boys followed her gaze. "It's nice to see you, Quinn."

Quinn, behaving professionally, directed a nod back to Mercedes. "Thank you. I know it's been a while."

There was no denying the fact that Quinn has been distant from her religious side for the past couple of months. To think she used to be the most popular girl in the whole school. _I had it all: a quarterback boyfriend, the leader position on the Cheerios, and almost every homecoming crown I could put my hands on._

Quinn couldn't help but think about the difficult times of her life. To her, it almost felt like yesterday. Leader of the Celibacy club laid on her back on her soft bed, fit for a queen. Every night would feel as if she's flying across the sky, visiting heaven every chance she could.

However, one night at the mile high club made her feel fat, almost falling down from heaven, breaking the ground with only her butt and her back, and plunging even lower to the fiery depths of hell.

This led to many malfunctions in her life. The constant amount of times she has cheated on someone. The needs to regain her popularity. The hair cut, which led to Quinn punking out on New Directions.

Yep, that's the high school life of Quinn Fabray for you.

_Praise God that that part of my life is over_, Quinn thought in relief. _I feel more mature now than I ever was._

Resetting herself and erasing the sins from her past, Quinn explained a little about her religious life.

"When I was at my lowest, I turned to prayer. I don't even know who I was praying to, actually, but it seemed to have left me on the right track."

Mercedes and the blonde boy on her right acknowledged her religious achievements. Mercedes then turned to the blonde. "Yes Sam?"

Sam Evans, current football player who crushes on Mercedes, looked across from him. The other boy hadn't said a word since he's been in the room. "Can I ask a question? What's with Tarantula Head over here?"

_Sam Evans, what can I do with you?_ Mercedes thought in the back of her mind.

Trying not to focus on Sam's ignorance, she directed Sam and Quinn's attention towards the boy with the dreadlocks. He seemed pretty eager to be a part of the God Squad and come in counter with some students he can call his friends.

"This is our new member, Joseph Hart. You can call him Joe. He just transferred here to McKinley."

Sam observed him closely as Joe talked a little about himself, still gripping on his guitar.

"I guess I'm a sophomore," he began.

_Really, dude?_ Sam looked confused. _Has anyone taught you the age level for each grade?_

At the last minute, Joe adds "I've been homeschooled my whole life." _Makes sense_, Sam nodded. "But this past year, I realized that my best friend was my mom. So decided to get out and experience the world."

Quinn directly looked at him. Something ran through her. Something…almost chilling.

She couldn't believe her eyes when she saw Joe's face. At every chance he got, she shot charming grins. Quinn glanced down at Joe's revealing left side of his lustrous chest under his dark green shirt. A Bible quote was transcribed on it.

For the first time she took a look at someone, she had this feeling to whisper in a guy's ear, "You just look…oh, my gosh. You're hot."

Sam looked at the Bible quote tattoo as well. "What's with the tats?"

Joe looked down at his chest. His left side wasn't covered up as much, but still shifted it so the three God Squad members could visually see the whole excerpt.

"Bible quotes," Joe replied. He pointed to his hair. "And each one of my dreads is named after a book in the Bible."

Quinn found it to be unbelievable. It was hard to believe that Joe's head contained 66 dreads running down his back. "You've got to be kidding me."

Joe gripped on to his guitar again. "I play guitar, too, but I only know Christian stuff. My dad only listens to talk radio, and we don't have a TV."

Mercedes nodded. Sam gave Joe a "weirded-out" facial expression. _Wow, you really have a lot to experience then for someone who hasn't heard of cable TV_.

The dreadlocked boy looked down at his feet. He only wore brown sandals to school. "Do you guys mind if I take off my shoes? I'm so used to going to school barefoot."

Quinn chuckled. "It's like a teen Jesus."

Sam sighed, taking the willing to accept the new kid. "Just glad there's another dude around here," he finally spoke up after moments of observing. Another charming grin spread across Joseph's face.

"Surprised Shane's not a member of the God Squad. Interesting."

Sam indicated Mercedes's conniving boyfriend, Shane Tinsley. He too was also in the football team. However, he was very barbaric towards Sam when he transferred back in sometime in January.

Mercedes nearly gritted her teeth at Sam, hoping to not start another round-table debate about Shane in front of Quinn and Joe.

"Alright, that's enough, Sam." Mercedes responded to him as if she was Sam's mother.

Mercedes stood up out of her chair and stepped toward the white board behind her. Everyone turned in her direction. Mercedes checked off a box on the checklist written on the white board.

"So last week, we were talking about opportunities for community service."

Sam rose his hand and stood up before everyone in the room. "Valentine's Day is around the corner," he began, "and since the Glee club turned it down, there's a slot for singing telegrams."

Mercedes, Joe, and Quinn nodded and continued to listen.

"All four of us sing, and Teen Jesus and I play guitar. So I thought we can use the money to adopt a highway and start a shoe drive."

Mercedes was impressed by Sam's train of thought. He basically took care of most of what was on the list of things the God Squad planned to accomplish. Mercedes clapped and said, "Praise!" with leadership-type enthusiasm.

Joe was next to speak up. "It is a religious holiday. Saint Valentines and all that. I would love to show the whole school that it's good to be Christian. You know, we're not all just door-to-door Bible salesmen like my dad."

Sam's eyebrow inched up on his forehead.

Mercedes felt that there was finally something to work with. She interrogated the three members. "All in favor?" Everyone raised their hands in agreement. This made Joe even more excited. "Righteous."

Quinn took yet another glance at him. Like Mercedes, Quinn was astonished by his enthusiasm and participation.

Quinn could only remember being a lot like that in the past. She only wished that she was as pure as she was the beginning of sophomore year and throughout her whole freshman year.

Somewhere along the way, she felt as if she was sucked into a black hole when she made out with Puck. If rejoining the God Squad helped her to regain the feeling of being pure like she used to be, there seemed to be no problem in that.

However, she was in the same group with him. He who catches Quinn's attention. Quinn makes every attempt to control herself since that day.

By control, it means everything. Control her inner feelings. Control her actions. Control her thoughts. There was a lot for her to learn…


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter One

"Finally…I'm done."

The blonde girl had completed her assignments for tomorrow, and was now ready to do absolutely nothing. She lay flat on her back, making herself comfortable on her soft bed with pink and white bed sheets.

Not a sound stirred in sight. Barely any cars honked disturbingly down the street. The house phone didn't ring so loud to ruin Quinn's concentration. Peace and quiet. Quinn cherished the serenity in the room in which bounced off every wall and zipped past every corner.

Not even her parents were there to interrupt and ruin the silence. Judy Fabray, her mother, was gone for work. Quinn's father was also one of Quinn's terrible past memories. The uptight old man didn't even bother to listen to the poor princess as she cried her eyes off, begging for mercy.

Although Quinn missed her dad a lot, she was kind of glad that her mother left him. Quinn got the payback for all the backstabbing treatment that her father gave her after confessing that she had one on the way.

_I'll bet he's still shaken up that his baby girl went against everything he stands _for, Quinn pouted. _That's alright, Daddy. I regret everything._

Since the placid teen had the whole house to herself, it gave her the opportunity to find out what was running through her mind.

She had trouble figuring out who she is and what she wants to be. Growing up and about to graduate in less than 5 months, a lot had her feeling dizzy inside.

It was so much easier for her in her younger years. Quinn remembered when she was only 6 years old. The golden memories lit up the room like candlelight. That was years before her dad turned his back on her.

They were only on vacation at Disney World, and Judy dressed the little toddler in a baby blue dress. Little Quinnie was such a ball of energy. She was given everything and anything she wanted.

One specific memory of that trip was when Quinn got her face painted. Glitter was scattered everywhere: on her cheeks, by her little eyes, and even in her hair. Pink and baby blue stars also accompanied baby Quinn's face. Her father picked her up off the ground after a long day of running around looking for toys and entertainment.

The old man gushed at his sweet little baby. "Look at Daddy's little girl!"

"I'm a princess, Daddy."

"You'll always be my little princess, sweetheart. Someday, you'll meet a friendly prince and live happily ever after. Like Cinderella, remember?"

The little girl looked Russell in the eyes. "Daddy, I remember."

"I know you do. I read that to you almost every night. And every time at the end, you always tell me—"

"I'll someday be just like her."

Within her time in high school, Quinn has transformed in the modern-day Cinderella she is now. All of her dreams of being a princess have come true. Well…almost all of them.

For every Prince Charming she has encountered in her life, something goes wrong. A couple of months ago, Quinn decided that the dating part of her life should put to rest, and just let go of all of her past romances. And after everything with Puck, she was more cautious to her sexual needs.

Now after three guys of the A-Team of the McKinley Titans, Quinn lays her eyes on another guy. A previously homeschooled Christian…and only a sophomore! Why was Quinn not controlling herself this time? She was able to do it earlier this year when all the craziness between her, Puck, and Shelby Corcoran was going on. Not only that, but there are many beliefs that a Christian will go by, and that includes sex before marriage.

A promise that Quinn has frankly broken.

Quinn caught herself hitting her palm against her forehead with her eyes shut. _Hold on, Quinn Fabray. Stop thinking about him and get your life together._

No matter how many times she told that to herself in her mind, the thought of seeing the boy with dreadlocks always came back to her. The snap-out-of-it button clearly wasn't fixed yet.

_Buzzzzzz! Buzzzzzzz!_

Quinn's phone started to vibrate. She checked the caller ID. Rachel Berry.

Before Quinn got pregnant, there was a lot of tension between the two of them. Rachel would've made Teacher of the Year for all the things Quinn warned her about Glee club and how it'll save her. Rachel was right.

After two years of bashing at her, it felt good to get the 200 pounds of hate off her shoulders.

"Quinn? Hello?"

"I'm here."

"Just wanted to check on you and see how you were doing."

Quinn shut her eyes for just a minute. Maybe her thoughts on Joe would disappear, and she can have a normal, girl talk with—

Nope, still there.

"I'm suffering from some mental problem, I guess."

Rachel giggled. Some of Quinn's statements seemed to be erratic, yet ludicrous.

On the other line, Quinn shook her head, still listening to Rachel laughing. "No seriously, what's going on? Is there a test coming up, 'cause I can help you with anything you need—"

"It's not about a test. It's about…something else."

Silence. "Care to share this 'something else'?"

Quinn smirked. "Not the time for it, Rach."

"Aw, come on. This isn't the Quinn Fabray that everyone knows. You know, the one that was too embarrassed to admit something."

"I was that Quinn Fabray two years ago, remember?"

"Was that an _embarrassed_ Quinn, or a _frightened_ Quinn?"

Good point.

Quinn curled her hair with her index finger on her right finger, wondering the possibilities of how she was going to tell the brunette girl on the other line what's flowing through her mind.

Could she tell this way or that way? Should she add this detail or not? So many questions, so little time.

Quinn took a deep breath into the phone. "It's dealing with…someone I just met today." Rachel gushed up. "His name is Joe Hart. He's really sweet and everything. There's just one problem. Specifically with me."

Pause.

She prayed that she won't lose her mind after this phone conversation.

"This is supposed to be my time to recover from the boy troubles and just move on as a person. He's reaching inside me without even having to speak with me or be near me. Do you understand where this is going?"

Rachel gave the okay-I-see-where-you're-going face, even though Quinn couldn't see it.

"Yeah, you shouldn't think about him any further than where you are now. You'll be in deep trouble."

Quinn gasped in shock. "How dare you say that to me?"

"Well, he could be a freshman for all we know—"

"Silly little Rachel. He's a sophomore. Freshman are 30% shyer and more…life-filled than he is."

"Regardless, he's pretty young for you, don't you think?"

"You're one to talk. You were with Jesse in sophomore year when he was a senior. Same situation as me and Joe. Plus, your gross mother had sex with one of my former boyfriends—"

"Isn't that kinda natural in Puck's sense?"

Quinn scoffed. "It doesn't matter."

"It kinda does."

"No, it doesn't."

"Yeah, it does, Quinn."

"And I said it doesn't."

"What makes you think so?"

Rachel got her in her trap. "Because!"

Rachel shook her head. Quinn, to her, could be very ignorant when it comes to being right or wrong. She'll act like a common 5-year-old who claims to have not eaten the last cookie out of the jar.

Sometimes she found it cute of her to act this way, though.

Quinn was struggling on the other end. She had thoughts running through her mind.

Within seconds, she couldn't even remember talking to Rachel about her day at school. All she saw were hallucinations. Hallucinations of him. The same guy Mercedes introduced into the God Squad. That hair, that voice, that smile. Sweat rolled down the poor girl's face from under her blonde bangs.

"Hello? Quinn, are you still there?"

Quinn jumped a little. "I'm sorry, Rach. I was just…wondering…"

"About _him_ again?"

Rachel said it like Joe was supposed to be the It clown. Agitated and rejecting Rachel's question, she went on to talk about something else.

"So, what were you doing in school today? Did you plan on doing something with Finn for Valentine's Day or something?"

Rachel paused. She thought back about Finn and how she wanted to get married to him. Butterflies flew around in her stomach. Finn was Quinn's first boyfriend. She'd cringe to anything Rachel and Finn were up to.

Though on the flip side, Quinn was long over him.

"Well, I've been thinking about it a lot. See, I've been in a relationship for about…I'm guessing 10 months."

Quinn nodded. "With Finn, yes. Go on."

"Well, back in November, we established that he wasn't going to get the football scholarship he's been dying to receive. He was pretty let down. Then he started talking about going into the army—"

A heartbeat was skipped.

Quinn's face almost tore as she let her jaw drop in shock. "Is he crazy? Our Finn Hudson? He's gonna get hurt, Rachel. You've got to get him to keep trying."

"He won't keep trying. He said that that scholarship was his only chance in accomplishing what he wants. All of that is ruined for him now."

Quinn was, all of a sudden, worried for Finn. _That's not the determined quarterback I knew back then._

"Anyways, he told me all about this. Then, Finn…" Rachel tried to figure out how to explain this to Quinn at the last minute. She made every attempt to sort this thoroughly. "Then Finn, um—"

Quinn heard a beep on her phone. Mercedes was on the other line. The blonde almost threw her cell phone to the wall across from her. "Damn call waiting!"

Rachel heard her. The brunette jumped in shock. Would Quinn even say that? "Uh, Quinn, did you—"

"Sorry, Mercedes is calling. Maybe I'll get in touch with you later on."

Quinn pressed a button on her phone and held the little black device up to her soft little ear. "Mercedes?"

"Do we have third period homework for Mr. Greyson?"

"Latin? Um…we had a couple of book pages to do."

Mercedes wrote everything Quinn was saying and turned to the page numbers Quinn informed her about. Relieved, Mercedes took a 3-second sigh. "Quinn, you're a lifesaver."

Quinn thanked her back. Then the hallucinations came back. Joe haunted her insides like a ghost. It was creepy, yet appealing to the young girl. Ironically, she had to find Teen Jesus a way out of her.

"Mercedes…can I ask you something important?"

"Mhm." Mercedes closely listened to Quinn on the other line.

"Is it possible to…regain the feeling of being…well, clean and fresh?" Mercedes wasn't understanding Quinn's personal question. "You know, before the stage when someone encounters…sex."

Oh.

Mercedes combed her hair with her fingers. Sex…such a touchy topic. Literally. Nothing. There was not a thing to tell her.

"Quinn, I wouldn't know how to answer that question. I've never had sex before." The blonde girl nodded, disappointed. "You've been taking rehabilitation sessions back in junior year, though. Just continue to follow Christ and trust in him to help us out."

God is amazing. Everyone knew this. God helped Quinn go through a healthy pregnancy. God gave her amazing friends, all she'll have to leave once she graduates. God also gave her a brain to help her think about all of this and a wide variety of activity in her years of high school.

Quinn just shrugged to Mercedes's comment. "Looks like that's all I can do."

Mercedes agreed. "Why you ask?"

Crap. Flashbacks and more hallucinations came. It made Quinn speechless. _Joseph, quit scattering around in my train of thought. I'm trying to talk to Mercedes. Thank you._

"Well, I remembered what I said about me being at my lowest at the God Squad meeting, remember? I figured turning to Jesus Christ for answers would help."

"He's still gonna help you, Quinn, whether if you gave birth at 16 or not."

A wide, bright smile grew on the blonde girl's face. Sure, this girl never had sex before nor how to deal with these mind-boggling feelings. But she still gave the best advice.

"Thank you for helping me out. I'll see you at school tomorrow." Mercedes smiled as well. "Will do. Good night, Fabray."

They both hung up their cell phones.

The pretty blonde still faced the ceiling, and put her palms together. Her eyes closed shut like a peaceful baby in a big crib.

She prayed. She prayed for God to keep all of the thoughts of the past behind her. She prayed for God to help her control herself. She prayed for God to keep her mind off high school crushes and just move on…

But how can she when this sophomore boy is on her mind? He was literally everywhere: in her thoughts, in her dreams—hell, even in the little lounge chair that sat in the corner next to her bookcase! He wouldn't go away.

_What could be a good distraction for all of this?_ The girl thought about this for a moment. Nothing clicked.

Her eyes suddenly stared up at the ceiling. There sat the ceiling light. It was burning her little eyes. They made her feel drowsy, actually. It was only 4:45, though, according to her light blue alarm clock sitting on her night stand.

There goes her distraction: a perfect nap.

With the neutral breeze flowing through her window and the light shining in her face, Quinn completely closed her eyes. However, it wasn't much of a nap. This was a deep sleep no one could interrupt.

Perfect.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

The bell rung at 7:50 in the morning. Ugh, too early for action.

People trolling around McKinley High weren't morning people, for sure. Students lazily walked to their first class. Some of the teachers, although acting cheery, didn't feel the need to get up and listen to millions of complaints about missing homework each day.

Everyone seemed to have a laid-back morning. Everyone except Quinn.

To the elegant blonde, beauty and energy depended on a good night's rest. All of her evenings in her calm and quiet room were perfect, unlike most of the juniors and freshman who may have been hooked to video games and social networking.

She even told a couple of people that she hardly uses her MySpace or Twitter that much anymore. Not only it'll ruin her perfect hazel eyes, but it gave her headaches having to type in some random sentences with poor grammar, or having run-on chats with other users.

How unfortunate for the majority of the United States population.

The porcelain blonde felt that today was going to be a good day. All of her homework had been completed. She'd chosen one of her favorite outfits: a hot pink cropped sweater, covering her sleeveless black top of her dress, with the white skirt part embroidered with horizontal purple and hot pink stripes, and sandal-like wedges on her small feet with the hot-pink ribbon. Her early sleep gave her enough energy to run the halls of McKinley High.

She opened the combination lock in which accompanied her locker. One by one, she took her textbooks out, neatly stacking them in her arms and ready for the next class. Her eyes drew to the pictures in her locker.

Finn Hudson at the Titans' winning game, 2009.

Noah Puckerman with me at Sectionals, 2009.

Sam Evans with me at Sectionals, 2010.

She couldn't continue to look at the pictures nor read the captions after that. Something was obviously up with her after those couple of seconds. She needed to focus on something else.

Quinn closed her locker and the combination lock, and walked in the straight direct—

Smack!

All Quinn could hear after bumping into the unknown person was an "oomph!", somewhat masculine.

Joe Hart. He happened to be headed down another direction. Both Quinn's books and Joe's books were in a messy pile on the hard floor. The girl's eyes shot up to the boy's for a second before they landed on the books, and she bent down to retrieve them.

"Joseph! Um…I—good God—I'm so sorry."

Quinn couldn't stop stuttering ever since she came in contact with the dreadlocked boy.

Joe bent down with her and handed her all of her books. He seemed to have not mind. "No worries. That was actually my fault for not moving over."

Joe handed Quinn the last book and gathered all of his things together. Not even a second past as they found themselves staring at each other.

The blonde girl was drowning in Joe's beautiful eyes. They were like cherry-flavored Jolly Ranchers to her. Time stopped instantly around. Everything was put on a pause.

Quinn was officially frozen. Just the thought of him made her drown even more…

Everything motionless.

"So…are you—crap. Joe, um…"

This was embarrassing. Usually girls didn't have that much trouble finding what to say to a boy…wouldn't they?

Teen Jesus just laughed. Quinn found herself hiding her discombobulated expression on her face. "Nervous, huh? I am, too. It's only my second day seeing other teenagers like me walking around in a school building."

Quinn took a couple of slight nods, still looking at the young boy's face…and still somewhat caught in the moment.

"I would be happy to show you around if you like." Quinn smoothed down her dress with her left hand, the skirt reaching down to her tiny knees.

"Thank you so much. I would like that." Joe sends more waves of charm.

The lost boy turned in every direction possible. He was supposed to be heading to class, but didn't know where. Bumping into Miss Fabray must have sent him off.

In a way, Quinn saw this as cute. I mean, this is a new student—awfully handsome—wandering around to find his place. Well, what's a previously homeschooled child to do?

"What class do you have next?"

"Chemistry."

"Go straight, to the left, and then find the last door on the right."

"You really do know your way around here."

"It was my classroom in sophomore year, too."

Coincidence much?

Quinn didn't move just yet. The awkwardness still swirled around and made an invisible force field. "Can I walk you there?"

"You wouldn't want to be late, don't you?"

"I'm quick on my feet. I usually get there 3 minutes for the bell rings anyway."

A little boastful, but still a good trait to consider.

Joe felt a little safer. The other day he had to suffer through hockey players bumping their bags up against his sides and back. A junior football player even shoved him into a locker before he made it to the lunch room.

The blonde girl hung her white leather purse over her left shoulder, and held her school books in her right arm. She beckoned Joe to follow. "Come on."

The young dreadlocked boy followed Quinn and past another set of lockers and about 2 or 3 classrooms. He was lucky Quinn was there for look-out. One wrong turn, and it would be even more awkward.

At a split second, Fabray's peppy energetic body moved further down the hall, nearly beating Joe to the end. Joe's eyebrow cocked. He figured Quinn wanted to race. He sped up, nearly bumping into Quinn's left arm.

"Joseph, you're going to fast!"

The young teen Jesus couldn't contain his laughter. The girl yelled at him with an adorable pitch. He was practically playing with her. Half of the time, Quinn didn't think he was a sophomore, but a _freshman_!

Rachel may have been right on this one.

Or maybe not.

Quinn's cackle bounced off the walls. There was no worry in the back of her mind if a teacher would come out and scold her. She moved wickedly fast, and there was no one stopping her.

Were they really doing this? Quinn had to go to class. She was going to be late.

But then…visions of the boy appeared. The hallucinations came back. Joseph. Joseph Hart. A sweet and bright ball of entertainment whom Quinn happened to have thoughts about. She couldn't stop. She had to keep going.

And keep going she did.

Too bad she was wearing wedges while running after someone about 2 or 3 years younger than him. Lucky for Joe, he didn't have any shoes on, though it could be dangerous in some situations. Still, Quinn didn't realize how fast he was.

The two rascals didn't even feel like they were in high school anymore; they felt like 7-year-olds. Little youngsters would play tag out in the nearby park by McKinley High. They'd shout out loud and stretch their legs out wide, attempting to reach out to whoever was in front of them.

It was just the right exercise to get Joe wide awake today. That old feeling of being alert when someone was directly after him gave him the drive to—literally—keep moving forward.

Some of the students watching them run didn't even know why they were even doing this. Joe didn't mind. Neither did Quinn.

The dreadlocked boy made it before Quinn to the chemistry classroom, regaining some of the breath he lost while running and with Quinn chasing him. He nearly fell to the ground, trying to suck in all the air he can take.

The blonde followed behind, nearly slapping her palm into Teen Jesus' chest. He tried not to laugh again, but Quinn's facial expression looked hilarious to him.

Quinn smirked. "How dare you beat me like that?"

Joe shrugged with a clever grin. "I try."

The blonde laughed, and then they both froze to calm themselves down. The bell was going to ring in about 4 minutes.

"Well…we're here anyways."

"Thanks again for that."

"See you next period."

"And fifth."

Quinn grinned. "Of course."

Joe walked in the classroom and left Quinn out in the hallway. The door closed in her face.

The energetic senior couldn't stop thinking about him. She thought he was sweet like the honey in tea whenever she got sick. Like the popsicles she'd buy from the store on a sweltering day. If it's anything Quinn liked, it was something sweet to butter her up.

Feeling as if she accomplished interaction with Joe, the preppy blonde turned the opposite direction, walking to her first-period class, when—

"Quinn Fabray!"

Holy crap.

Quinn was in trouble this time. Was Joe trying to get her detention? Would he ever be that cruel to his first high school friend?

The girl tapped her fingers together, keeping her books intact. It wasn't the principal; he didn't have a girlish, raspy voice. It could've been her Algebra teacher. Or Miss Pillsbury. Or Rachel Berry. Or—

"What are you doing? We're going to be late!"

Santana Lopez.

Two twin-like teens in Cheerios uniforms had their arms folded and their backpacks hanging on their backs.

"Oh, sorry Santana. I guess I wasn't keeping track this time."

The witty and confused Brittany S. Pierce looked at Quinn's figure. "But aren't you on the track team? Have you been ditching?"

Santana, grabbing hold of Brittany's arm, reached out her right hand for Quinn's. The Unholy Trinity walked together down the hall for first period. She couldn't put her finger on why she was acting wild today.

"Why are you so…well…"

"Moving?"

"Yeah, did someone put Red Bull in your cereal this morning?"

Brittany chimed in. "One time I did that, and I stayed awake almost all day and night. Amazing what these things can do to you, right?"

Quinn shook her head. She wouldn't know how Santana and Brittany—or at least Santana—would react to Quinn lollygagging with a sophomore boy. It seemed to childish to the two girls.

"I was rushing to find Rachel."

Santana shook her head. Lies. "We saw Berry at breakfast. She even told you that she was going to be in the library."

Strike one.

"Sam had snatched my books and almost ran off with them. Typical, playful jocks, right?"

"Would Sam even do that?" Sure, Brittany may be…well, coo-coo in the head sometimes, but she wasn't so random that she didn't know what was going on.

Santana looked next to her at her Rapunzel-haired, pretty cheerleader girlfriend. "He would do some stupid action-movie imitations, but he wouldn't spend his morning running after his former girlfriend, now would he?"

Strike two.

"I had to find a teacher before class started."

Santana and Brittany eyed each other and then at Quinn, giving her no verbal response.

Strike three.

"What?"

"Why would you find a _teacher_ while laughing like a maniac? I'll bet you my neighbor Sally would've heard you from miles away."

Brittany shrugged. "She probably heard a funny joke."

Impressive. "Thank you, Brittany."

Santana snapped. "Brittany!" The poor child sheepishly looked away.

Ignoring Brittany's response, the sassy Cheerio turned back to Quinn. "Fabray, something's fishy with you. Did Puck offer you drugs?"

"You know I don't hang around with Puck that much anymore."

"Well, why would you—"

Sudden pause. Santana nearly squealed. "Is it a guy?"

Quinn shook her head all of a sudden. "No. No more guys for me. Each time, it never works out."

She made it very clear that she was no longer a part of the date train. Getting her life together, graduating high school, and attending Yale were the only three priorities on her list. Nothing involved adding "finding a boyfriend" to the list of things she wanted to do before her senior year ended.

Brittany and Santana awed at the blonde.

"Come on, Quinn. You know you want to." Brittany reached her finger out to Quinn's nose, almost playing around with her. Quinn pushed it away.

Santana nudged at Quinn's side. "Yeah, who's the lucky sucker this time?"

Correction, to Quinn: who was the _unlucky_ sucker this time?

"I don't have a crush. You guys can stop it now."

Santana pulled at Brittany's arm, directing her attention towards Quinn. "Britt, she's blushing! Do you see that?" Brittany thought this was secretly entertaining. Quinn thought both girls were crazy. At least it made her stop thinking about chasing after a certain Teen Jesus.

"I'm not blushing," Quinn argued, but the girls were still gushing and cooing over the rosy red cheeks on the blonde.

Santana put her hand on her hip. "Quinn, you lied three times to us already today, and it's not even 9:00 yet. We want facts, _now_."

"Not gonna say anything, alright?"

"Lord Tubbington doesn't take no for an answer, and neither will I."

Ironic. About a couple of minutes ago, Brittany was on Quinn's side with the whole teacher thing. Now she's back as Santana's ally, trying to crack the mystery of the crush Quinn wasn't confessing about. Well, Brittany will be Brittany.

Santana rebelled. "We demand answers, Fabray."

"And you'll never get them."

Quinn opened the front door of the classroom and entered. The two Cheerios looked at each other. "Brittany, she's gonna tell us."

Santana was sure of anything. She's not a quitter when it came to one Quinn Fabray. Her girlfriend, however, had not one clue.

"What if she really doesn't?"

"It'll show eventually."

"What, her acne?"

The bell rung. Santana shook her head at Brittany. They both entered.

"Just wait and see."


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

The bell interrupted the end of third period. Students poured out of classrooms, trying to find their next location.

"Quinn, Santana told me that you were looking for me."

The blonde stepped out of her third-period classroom with Rachel. The brunette clutched her books in her arms like the normal Rachel Berry would. She seemed concerned that Quinn wanted something.

Quinn, however, couldn't remember what it was that she wanted. What _did_ she want?

"What do you mean?"

Rachel thought back to what the perky lesbian Cheerio told her before third period started. "She said that you were trying to find me before classes started."

Oh Santana. You just had to yap those gums of yours.

Quinn tried to hide the whole conversation she had with the girls. "I never said anything about finding you. Maybe she was thinking of something else."

Rachel nodded. "Makes sense."

Good move, Fabray.

They headed towards their next class: History. It was Quinn's second least favorite class. Not only they learned the same things every year, but the teacher is either boring or strict. She remembered having Mr. Havens last year, and he would smack a meter stick on every desk.

Luckily, she had one of those somewhat alert, but laid-back teachers for her History class instead. Mr. Crews.

Mr. Crews was a pretty loveable teacher. According to the Unholy Trinity, they'd rather have him for every class, even the difficult ones like AP Algebra and P.E. He makes life a little easier. Quinn believes that, if Mr. Schuester's not there for her for some reason, Mr. Crews can come to the rescue.

Rachel and Quinn heard him calling to his students inside the classroom. "Okay, class. We're starting in about 3 minutes. Get your notes out."

Rachel turned to Quinn. "You got your notes?"

"Always, in my green binder. Where are yours?"

"Lately, I haven't been keeping track. I've had things on my mind—"

"No excuse, Berry!"

"Fabray!"

"Oh, am I irritating you or something?"

Quinn laughed. Rachel couldn't contain hers, watching the girl covering her ridiculously large smile. Rachel hit her hand against Quinn's shoulder. "Proves that you'll be valedictorian this year. You're always prepared, even if something slows you down."

"I wouldn't say that for the most part, Rach. Look at Mike Chang. He's been on the straight-A mark for 2 and a half semesters!"

"Very true."

Rachel stood by the door opening, allowing her best friend to walk in and take her seat in the middle of the class. Rachel followed behind and took the seat to the blonde's left. Quinn turned to Rachel, applying strawberry-flavored lip gloss on her full lips.

"So, you never finished that conversation with me about Finn."

Rachel froze.

She immediately remembered when there was a call awaiting from Mercedes. They never got to finish discussing Finn since the call waiting from Mercedes.

Just last night, Rachel was ready to explain to Quinn what her and Finn's status was. Now, she's not even sure if she can go on with it. A high school quarterback risking his life for his father? That's too much to take in with only about three months until graduation.

A stutter. A stutter slipped out of Rachel's mouth. "Uh, yeah. I had a talk with Finn after you got to Mercedes. He said he didn't want me to talk about it yet. He wants to…make it a secret for a little longer." She waited for a response. _Quinn's not gonna believe that._

Surprisingly, Quinn nodded in agreement. "Alrighty then. Lips zipped."

Rachel pretended to zip her lips shut. "Lips zipped."

She felt more comfortable then, but eventually the truth had to come someday.

"Notes out, books to page 234, no talking!"

The bell had just rung while the two girls were talking, and the rest of the class prepared for Mr. Crews' lesson. They directed their attention towards the white board in front of them.

Quinn wasn't paying much attention. She turned to an empty page in a spare notebook and ripped it out. Rachel looked over her shoulder. Hearts and other decorations were drawn all in black pen.

Rachel nudged at Quinn's arm. "_Doodling in class much?_"

"_Nosy much?_"

Rachel turned away. Quinn looked at her for three seconds, hoping that she wasn't watching what she was doing. Quinn covered the center of the page with a big heart with wings and a halo. It was the first time, other than that ugly picture of Rachel, that she realized she was really artistic.

"Miss Fabray!"

Crap.

See, this was the kind of thing about teachers Quinn especially didn't like. Ugh, why did he have to call her out like that?

Before she knew it, Mr. Crews was standing above her, pointing his eyes at the drawing Quinn spent her time on during the first few moments of class. The girl shyly drew her attention up to him.

"So you'd rather do this than study notes?"

Quinn couldn't get a word out. She felt her heart beating rapidly, and heard a couple of people around her—yes, even Rachel—snickering at her.

Mr. Crews folded his arms, giving the girl that I'm-waiting look. Say something, Quinn, before you get busted!

"Let me see your artwork."

No. No way.

Quinn had written her name and Joe's name inside the heart in the middle of the page. If Mr. Crews saw what she wrote, the students would tease her for life.

"I'll- I'll put it away. I promise. Don't mark me down, please don't."

The old man shook his head, placing his reading glasses back on his head. "This is a warning, Fabray. Next warning, and you'll be sent out of the class. Are we clear?"

"Yeah."

Looks like Mr. Crews isn't all she expected to be. Mr. Crews on "okay teachers" list, check.

Phew, that was close. One bad move and Quinn would've been scarred for life. She watched him at the front of the room and highlighted important points he pointed out in her notes.

Little did the girl know, her friend beside her was curious to know what she placed on her paper. Rachel held in her smile at the Christian boy's name written in the heart next to Quinn's name. Aha, caught red-handed!

Oh, dear Quinn. You can't help yourself, can you? Rachel had thoughts running through her mind.

The devil in her told her to get Quinn to snap out of this nonsense. I mean, she's graduating in about 3 months. Boys are in the past right now, right? But then the angel in her told her to tell Quinn to at least think everything through about how she's feeling. Not saying that she shouldn't have some feelings for a boy, but she won't have as much time to see the guy.

Which one, Rachel Berry? Which one?

* * *

"Well, guys. I still await for the day to come. I'm so excited."

Mercedes led the God Squad into a conversation at their fifth-period lunch time. "So, I sent my recommendation letters to the University of California in Los Angeles and California Institute of the Arts. Hopefully, I'll get accepted into one of them."

Quinn put her hand over her heart, stirred by Mercedes's news about college. "You're going that far? To California?"

"I got rejected in some schools in New York, Massachusetts, Illinois, and Florida. I told my dad about this already. If I don't make it in a school in a state near Ohio, I go further out. It'll at least benefit the fact that I can be more independent than I am now."

Joe placed a hand on Mercedes's back. "We'll still pray for you, Mercedes. I hope you'll get accepted into one."

"If only I was in my senior year. I could travel the world with her."

"Sam, you're too sweet."

A guy in a varsity football jacket walked over and kissed Mercedes's forehead. "Hey baby. You coming with me to the movies tonight?"

Sam's head fell down to the tray in front of him. Mercedes, trying hard not to yell, took a breath and shot a look up at Shane. _Did he really have to do that, especially when Sam's here?_

"Um…I'm sorry. I have plans with other friends. Maybe next time."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

Sam cringed a little after Shane walked away. Mercedes can't possibly keep up with the pantomime of a relationship with this guy, right?

Mercedes saw the pity in Sam's eyes. _I know I shouldn't be doing this. Sam's my first. I shouldn't have gone for Shane at the beginning of the school year._ Ashamed of herself, she ate a piece of celery that sat on her almost-empty tray.

"Hey there, Quinnocence."

The smooth-talking Cheerio was behind Quinn, stroking her perfect fingers down the blonde's silky hair. Her arm was accompanied by her girlfriend, who had stuck a piece of Juicy Fruit gum into her mouth.

"Santana? What are you doing here? You have gym at fifth period."

"Substitute. We're ditching today."

Brittany took a seat beside Quinn, relieved by the fact that she didn't have to face Mrs. Hansberry today. "She made us do about 100 sit-ups yesterday. Now I know what giving birth feels like."

Quinn's eyebrow danced towards the left of her forehead. _Don't remind me._

"You look really pretty today, Quinn. Are you using a special type of conditioner for your hair? It smells like my mom's lavender-scented deodorant."

Santana took a strand from Quinn's hair and observed the aroma closer. "You know what, it does. And check out this face of hers. I mean, fashion magazine-worthy!"

"Santana, you already know that I use the Rainforest Radiance moisturizer. Don't pretend that you don't."

Santana chuckled, pulling at her soft-curl ponytail hanging off her head. "It just _looks_ better on you. Just sayin'."

She looked around at the God Squad members. Mercedes shrugged and nodded, while Sam looked utterly confused as to why Santana brought this up. Joe, sitting patiently, took a glance at Quinn. He didn't take a good look at her before, but she actually did look like how Brittany and Santana described her.

After seconds of taking observations, Santana immediately spoke up. "What about you guys? Quinn is such a supermodel. We can both probably be on Victoria's Secret or some—"

"Santana!"

"Oh, come on. Look at Trouty Mouth and Dreads, and tell me that they're not attracted to you."

Oh, my God. Joe's facial expression changed just before the girls were looking at him and Sam again. The boy tried his hardest to make a straight face, but Quinn was sitting across from him. Looking into Quinn's eyes was like staring into the sun.

Santana rolled her eyes halfway. She knew Joe was lying to her.

"Okay, just because there are two boys here with us, and you're saying all of this about my physical appearance, doesn't mean that they're attracted to me." A giggle was thought to be heard when Quinn was speaking.

"It's like saying that you're not still attracted to Sam…or saying that you're not attracted to this newbie here."

Brittany looked up at Santana. "Is a newbie a type of dwarf?"

The salad fork in Quinn's eating area hit the tray, and the blonde turned back to her best friends. "Guys, just go to class."

Nothing was working for Santana at this point. She was determined to discover the truth behind the wild child that is Quinn Fabray this morning at 7:55. She was acting differently now. More serious than before.

While she was still over at the God Squad's table, she paid more attention to the way Joe behaved. He seemed pretty young. Maybe around freshman or sophomore material.

Being at this school long enough, Santana took note of all the kids at McKinley High. Students around freshman year seemed to have more energy than any graduating senior or any junior roaming the school, dragging their elephant feet on the hard ground. However, Joe looked nothing like a freshman.

Quinn was still waiting, her feet tapping beneath the table and her arms folded across her chest. It was about time to give up. No one was giving her proof anyhow.

Santana grabbed Brittany's hand, looking up at the clock and then at Quinn once again. "Alrighty then. Have a super awesome day, you guys."

The girls had made it to the lunchroom entrance and started up a conversation behind their backs. Brittany had looked back at them and then at her girlfriend in perplexity.

"That wasn't very useful."

"Course it wasn't. We'll get her, though. Trust me."

Back at the table, Quinn continued eating. She shook her head to everything the girls were trying to bring up about her. "You do understand that Santana can be too…interrogating, right?"

Mercedes scoffed. "We kind of established that when she tried to get rid of our Biology teacher in freshman year."

The two girls laughed.

Sam was astonished. "No way, really?"

"She convinced the principal that he had injections or whatever that'll make us feel seductive and delirious."

Sam, Mercedes, and Quinn all laughed. Santana had her best moments in freshman year.

At the moment, Quinn grabbed her empty tray and her purse. "Mercedes, could you come to the bathroom with me? Just applying make-up."

"Sure."

As the girls roamed the halls to find the ladies' room, Sam and Joe sat alone at the table and had a bro talk. Sam nudged Joe's arm. "Girls, right? There are things mythical about them that we don't still know yet."

"Possibly?"

"Yeah, I mean. Look around. They act so differently from us. I guess we'll never know."

The boys laughed.

However, Joe was still thinking about Santana and Brittany's purpose for bringing up how radiant Quinn was. He agreed with them wholeheartedly, but he didn't know why they mentioned it. Were they trying to reach into his senses?

Joe shivered a little inside. What was going on? This was the first time he's done that, and it's only his second day here. Was he really attracted to Quinn like the Cheerio said? No. No, that can't be. They're only friends.

Sam went on about the series of events that happened before their eyes, still not believing how incredibly hilarious it all went.

"I mean, I _was_ attracted to Quinn before. Not anymore. We used to get along pretty well. What about you?"

Holy crap.

What was he supposed to respond with? Telling Sam that he had feelings for a senior girl will most likely have Joe embarrassed by the ice princess for the rest of the year.

Joe nodded. "She's…she's a nice girl, I'll agree."

"You're just not…crushing on her like Santana said, right?"

Hmm, what a tough question. A real brain teaser.

They had only met since the God Squad meeting the previous day. What was Joe supposed to feel? How did Quinn feel? She kind of had that expression on her kitten face, hinting that she may have crushed a little on Joe. What if that wasn't true, though?

"Um…well—"

"I understand. Like I said about girls, they can be pretty different from us. They're always letting out orgasmic sighs and talking gossip about people. I've been with at least 2 or 3 girls at this schools. I know."

Another chuckle came out of Joe's mouth. Okay, so Sam's being astounded about girls' living conditions and feelings was kind of funny.

And then it happened again. Another shiver.

What the heck was going on? The air conditioner wasn't on due to the outside landscape being surrounded by cold air. It was really comfortable inside. So…what was going on with Joe?

_Is this really happening? Maybe I need to shake it off._

He tried. Nothing worked. He felt sweaty…and a little more awkward.


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

"Can you hand me the comb right there."

"Sure."

"Here's your sanitizer."

"Thanks."

Mercedes and Quinn were still in the bathroom, primping and applying just a little make-up to their skin. They both glowed in the mirrors hanging against the walls.

As she checked herself out, Quinn glanced at the other mirror at Mercedes. She looked wonderful. Must be the smile on her face.

"Wow, that cleanser _does_ work."

Mercedes turned to the blonde. "Really?"

"Well, yeah. I'm surprised that I haven't heard of it."

"It's called Skin Deep. Blue bottle in the cosmetics and bath and body area." She took the box it came in from out of her bag and showed it to Quinn.

"I'll be on the look-out for it. Actually, it makes you stand out really nice."

"It does?"

She never received that comment ever since she started using the cleanser.

"Well, yeah. You look so pretty with it."

"Thank you."

They both smiled at each other.

Quinn liked the friendship she and Mercedes had. Other than Rachel, she was the only other Glee girl who cared about her when she was pregnant with her baby. They made each other feel beautiful.

_Man, did I make the right decision to rejoin the God Squad or what?_ It gave her the chance to reconnect with her friends, and meet new ones.

Mercedes turned to Quinn. Her hair was so thin and it shined in the light. She could only remember the beginning of the school year when those blonde locks were dyed pink. The girl had some serious issues then.

Now, she's—not completely, but almost—back where she started: the pretty blonde with hair a girl could ask for.

"You know, Santana and Brittany were right. You're a really pretty person, Quinn."

Sure, Britt and San were as pretty as the head of the Unholy Trinity. But some crazy legend says that they get their good looks from their best friend. I mean, why wouldn't they?

She was the most popular girl in the whole school. And although she changed her physical looks before coming to McKinley, she looked healthy and fit.

"I just don't understand why they're telling me now. I mean, Santana has been acting really mean to people around here. And since her coming out of the closet, I understand that she's trying to make things right with people."

"You can't blame her. She knows how it feels now."

"Well, sure. She hasn't done that much bullying with me, though. We're friends. I don't get it."

On the contrary, Quinn had somewhat of a hint as to why Santana was complimenting her so much. _She still thinks that I'm going to tell her about the mystery boy I may or may not have a crush on._

The blonde clearly knew that she was still winning.

"I never really saw myself as a pretty girl before this big change in my life. Doing more athletics, changing my hair to blonde, the nose job—everything."

"Maybe because back then, you weren't as confident with yourself as you are today. I mean, whether you changed yourself or not, I still would've said that you were a pretty person."

"Even with a stomach big enough for a watermelon to fit in?"

Mercedes guffawed. "Girl, look at me!"

Quinn chuckled. It was so hard to not laugh when she said that.

"No seriously, I was like you. Insecure, torn down from the inside, ugly. I didn't want to feel like that anymore. Then something changed inside me. Remember that 'born this way' assignment we had in junior year. All of that has changed me. I can better accept myself."

"I guess it was a good confidence booster."

Quinn put her comb and lip gloss up and washed her hands again. Even her small but perfect fingers can give the fact away.

"Quinn, can I ask you something?"

"Sure, what is it?"

"Do you think the boys are attracted to you?"

Oh please. Ever since Quinn was this Cheerio queen 'round town, boys would bark like dogs just to get closer to her—and eventually slide in her slim arms and her tight-fitting pants.

"That depends."

"I mean Sam and Joe."

Pause.

At first Quinn didn't give an answer. Last night, all she could think about was this young sophomore still finding his way around high school. And now there are rumors flying around thinking that Quinn may have something with this boy.

"Why say that?"

"I don't know. Sam went out with you last year before you jumped into Finn's bear arms. And now…well, I'm just curious about Joe. He seems to get along with everyone, even you. In fact, you're the main person he hangs out with other than Sam and me."

"Is that supposed to mean anything?" Quinn hid her blush and popped a piece of cherry gum in her mouth.

"Like I said, I was just curious."

Quinn shrugged. Sure, Joe has made more of a connection with the God Squad as opposed to the rest of the school. However, he could have anyone he wants. Plus, he sticks by his beliefs. Judging by that, it would be less likely.

The blonde girl finished the rest of her primping before she headed out to the—

"Wait a minute."

Quinn took a halt before she went out the door and back into the lunch room with the guys. Mercedes was on to something.

Oh, God. What now?

_Is this what I think it is? Was this the reason why Quinn asked me about regaining abstinence last night?_

It couldn't possibly. If that were the case, Quinn wouldn't have any thoughts running through her mind about Joe…or would she?

"You remember last night, Quinn?"

"About what, the homework?"

Oh, she's a genius.

"No, about the sex."

What?

"You asked me about regaining that feeling to be pure again, right?"

"Yeah."

Mercedes folded her arms. "Are you crushing on Joe?"

The slim girl's hands held onto her waist. Her eyes shot a serious look at Mercedes, who wasn't gullible to believe anything she was going to tell her.

"You know that I'm done with—"

"No, you're not."

Mercedes felt her voice rising up to the bathroom ceiling. Was Quinn really doing this to her? Everything with this girl was like a debate; she won't give up on her side of the argument.

Quinn stomped her foot. "Yes, I am."

She was struggling with herself again. Mercedes could tell.

Her hands clutched Quinn's shoulders, dragging her to the mirror, and trying to get her to face herself. "Look at yourself. You want him. I know it."

"No, I want to get out of this bathroom."

Nice try, Quinn.

Mercedes looked at her, concerned.

"What was your purpose of asking me about regaining purity? Just to ask some random topic to put on the table for the God Squad? No. I know you. You've had it harder than anyone in the Glee club. You didn't want Puck to be your first, right?"

Quinn didn't know what to think about Puck anymore. Sometimes he can be a fun guy, and others, he can be a jerk. Maybe he should step into her life to see how much it hurts.

"Well, no. He got me drunk and everything. So why—"

"Plus, it's been months since you've been with anyone. Although you love the freedom of being single and independent, you also feel alone."

Loneliness. About two-fifths of loneliness swam through Quinn's brain pool. Probably because of her father kicking her out after Finn sung to her about the baby. She hasn't seen him ever since.

And knowing Puck, he probably wouldn't stick around with her anyways. I mean, he's Noah Puckerman. The sexy football star. The guy with all the girls. The stud. He can't stay with one girl. He has to explore more like a baby bird in the woods.

Oh, Mercedes. Don't make Quinn tear up now.

"I've had that feeling last year. I had low self esteem about myself. Now I'm breaking out of my shell and being the diva that I know I am. You won't be alone forever, Quinn."

Quinn sucked up every bad feeling she was having at the moment. She wasn't going to let anyone tell her what she wants and needs.

"I know I feel alone sometimes, Mercedes," Quinn replied, "but how does this prove that I want to be with Joe?"

Mercedes huffed. "Well first of all, I saw the way you looked at him at the first God Squad meeting when you came back—"

Bloody hell. Mercedes actually _saw_ that?

"Like what?"

Mercedes tapped her foot. _Okay, how do I say this?_ "Like how stereotypical cheerleaders look at football players."

Huh. Very straightforward of you, Mercedes.

"If that were the case, you would've heard me sighing and groaning."

Mercedes was laughing. _Are you kidding me right now? I'm serious._

"Quinn, you're really hilarious. You know that, right?"

Quinn stared at her impatiently. "I'm telling you right now. I don't have a crush on Joe. You're not gonna make me, either."

Mercedes beckoned her head. "You're right. You're absolutely right. I'm not going to make you like anyone. I get it. On the other hand, let's let everything happen naturally."

Naturally? What did she mean by naturally?

"What are you talking about?"

All Mercedes responded with was a clever grin on her face. "You'll see."

Quinn scoffed. Please. Like she was going to trust what Mercedes was trying to tell her. The pretty blonde stepped to the girls' bathroom entrance.

"Uh Quinn?"

"Huh?"

"You left your purse." Mercedes was holding up Quinn's bag in her hands.

Nothing was going to cover the reason for that. Quinn grabbed her purse out of Mercedes's hands and walked back to the cafeteria. Mercedes followed behind.

* * *

The boys were still in the cafeteria. Sam explained to Joe about some of the New Directions members. Boy, did Sam have a lot to tell about people like Artie and Puck.

"Hey boys."

Mercedes greeted them and sat back in her seat between Sam and Joe. Quinn sat across from Joe like she was before.

"What took long?" Sam had finished drinking some of the diet Pepsi in his red solo cup.

"Oh, nothing." Mercedes looked towards the back of the cafeteria at the vending machine. "Can you hold my seat for me, boys. I think I'm going to grab a _Crush_."

Oh, damn you for that, Mercedes Jones.

Quinn gritted her teeth. All Mercedes did was shrug behind the boys' back and walked away.

"So, what are you guys doing for Valentine's Day?"

Sam looked around to see if Mercedes was gone. "Okay, so I decided to buy something for Mercedes, and hopefully ask for her to be my date to Sugar Motta's Valentine's Day party."

"We're performing there anyway. You know, God Squad's duty."

"I know, but Sugar told everyone in New Directions that they have to have a date to her party, or they'll get kicked out. That's why I'm asking Mercedes to go with me."

Reasonable.

Anyone who knows Sugar Motta will know that she'll go all out when it comes to parties. Her rich father will get her anything she wants and needs. Now there's a father who loves her daughter no matter what.

However, being that Sugar has diagnosed Aspergers, she can gloat a lot and will dominate over people and behave unprofessionally. So adding the rule about bringing a significant other to qualify would be something Sugar would definitely do.

"So who are you taking, Quinn?"

Great.

She never thought about it. Why should she forget, though? It's Valentine's Day after all. It's that time to show love to everyone, but mostly that one guy or girl that makes you feel special and loved.

In another sense, though, why should Quinn listen to something a girl with self-diagnosed Aspergers? She can follow her own rules, right? Not according to Sugar's book.

"I don't know, really. Maybe I'll just perform with you guys and leave."

Joe looked concerned. "Quinn why? You'll miss all the fun with your friends."

Sam chimed in. "Yeah, and you deserve it after everything you've been through."

True.

"Well, for starters, I've gone past the dating part of my life. And also, I have no one who would be willing to go with me."

Oh Quinn. Was she really willing to go home, feeling the empty-handedness she'll witness at Sugar's party?

Joe couldn't watch Quinn sit there and feel the need to mope on Valentine's Day. He hated to see anyone sad.

Besides, he really liked her. Even if it was something as simple as a greeting at the God Squad meeting, or something as childish as being chased around the hallways, Joe liked Quinn so far since he first came.

"I could go with you. I mean, we're both performing with Sam and Mercedes anyways."

Sam agreed. "Yeah. Not only you could be happy, but you can get on the right page with—"

The music and lyrics to "Moves Like Jagger" started playing.

Quinn cocked an eyebrow at Sam. He sheepishly looked back and then took out his phone. "Sorry. Artie's calling."

Oh God. Now that Sam's gone, Joe and Quinn are alone at the table. It was clear that either Mercedes wasn't coming back or was spying from the other end of the lunch room.

Quinn's blood heated up. Joe's did, too. They both tried hiding it.

"Why would you want to go with me again? I mean, you're only a sophomore. Shouldn't you go with someone your age?"

"Should age matter?"

"Well, no, but—"

Wasn't that the same thing Quinn asked Rachel last night? Damn.

"I'm sorry. This isn't my day, really."

"No, no. It's alright. You're about to leave soon, and it's going to be even harder since you have a lot to consider."

Quinn nodded. At least he understands everything that's going on.

Joe stuttered. "I-I just wanted to go with you because…well…you said that you didn't have anyone that would be willing to go. I figured that meant that—"

"There were some guys that used to go with me. I screwed it up, though. And I've had ups and downs dealing with my place in my life. I never really got to get along with any other senior boys enough to have a relationship with them."

"We all have something hard in our life. I mean, it's only been about 6 years ago since I witnessed a death."

"Really?"

"My aunt. She died of a heart attack. I never really got the chance to know her, though. My mom and dad only took me to see her on the holidays or over the summer."

It sort of reminded Quinn of her uncle, Jackson. Oh, he was a real party animal. He can get Quinn to move out of her chair and do the most outrageous things. Rest in peace, dear uncle.

"Sorry about your aunt." Quinn didn't have much more to say about that.

Joe nodded unfortunately. "I don't want you to be abandoned, Quinn. It'll be fun. Think about it. The four of us singing together and dancing with everyone else. Doesn't that sound better than sitting on the couch watching emotionally-mixed romantic movies?"

Quinn laughed. "I don't even _do_ that!"

"Are you sure?"

Joe was clearly making fun of her now. The blonde kind of enjoyed his humor, though.

"This gives me a better chance to know more about you."

"Like what?"

"I don't know. Have a bigger friendship than we already have now. Spend quality time with your other friends. Plus, this is the first party that I'll be going to. I would like for it to be fun."

Quinn felt a little better about the Valentine's Day party. The fact that Joe wanted to have fun and expand their friendship made Quinn feel more comfortable with him than ever before.

The dreadlocked boy couldn't keep his eyes off Quinn. He loved the way she smiled. It's always good to see someone happy.

"So…do you want to?"

Quinn took a minute to think about it. Joe sat there patiently. What if Quinn rejected her? What if she'll go with him, but change her mind at the last minute? All of these questions took over Joseph's brain.

Quinn finally looked up, grinning from ear to ear.

"Yes."


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

It was Thursday evening. The week was going by really fast.

Quinn, Santana, Brittany, Rachel, and Mercedes all went out for a girls' night out at Breadstix. They met with the lady at the front entrance.

"Table for five," Rachel told the redhead standing before them.

The five girls were seated at a booth. Mercedes and Rachel grabbed chairs up to the booth seats. Brittany, awfully tired from Cheerios practice, laid her head on Santana's shoulder. Santana stroked her baby face.

"Aw, is my baby Britt tired already? But we just got here."

"It's not my fault, Santana. Coach Sylvester was going to whip me with the switch. I had to run around the gym fast enough so I wouldn't end up with scars."

"You know Sue doesn't actually have a switch on her, right? And how can she catch up when she's preggo?"

"How do you know? She had the cannon that she was going to make me launch out of. It's possible."

Well, that's true.

Quinn looked at Brittany. She was reminded of how she looked when she rested her head on Finn's strong arms. Poor thing was still tortured by Sue. Like she always said, though, it could be the hormones.

A waitress walked over. She pushed her blonde hair back and took out a notepad. "May I take your order?"

Rachel spoke first. "The garden salad, spaghetti, a vegan burger, and flat water. No ice."

Mercedes was next. "I'll have the garden salad, too, with the shrimp and fries. Oh, and I would like Hi-C Tropical Punch."

Then Quinn. "May I have the Cesar salad, the shrimp, and the stir-fry, please? I would also like a glass of ice water."

After her was Santana. "I'd like the shrimp salad, the grilled cheese sandwich, and the chicken fingers. Along with that, I would like a glass of pink lemonade."

Brittany was last. However, she was asleep on Santana's shoulder and couldn't hear the waitress call her. "Ma'am, can I take your order?"

Well, this was awkward.

Slightly embarrassed and looking at the people around her, Santana wiggled a finger in the waitress's face. "_Um, just give her the shrimp salad and the chicken fingers to go._"

"Fair enough."

The lady left the girls to their table.

Rachel was first to start up a conversation. "So ladies, what do you plan on doing for Valentine's Day?"

Mercedes rolled her eyes. "Uh, the Valentine's Day party. What else?"

Quinn remembered that Sam planned on getting something for her in addition to Sugar's party. It could be anything: flowers, chocolates, a video of him at the stripper club—I mean, anything.

Santana folded her arms, her lined eyebrows shooting up and her dopey-face frown showing.

"Santana, you don't seem very enthusiastic." Quinn was concerned about her, despite her silliness earlier in the week.

The Cheerio shook her head. "It's nothing." She looked down at her Sleeping-Beauty girlfriend to make sure she wasn't listening. Then she leaned into the table towards Quinn, Mercedes, and Rachel. "_I had something planned for Britt's V-Day present._"

"What was it?" Mercedes asked.

"I thought you knew."

"What are you talking about?"

"Your little Bible-thumper clique is rejecting us. I mean, Figgins already disapproves me and Brittany sharing a peck on the lips in the hallway. Now I can't get what Brittany deserves for Valentine's Day this year? How can it get any worse?"

Mercedes and Quinn frowned. Was she really talking about the God Squad like that?

"Santana, please. The God Squad appreciates everyone. What did we do to you?" Mercedes took a breadstick from the basket and threw a piece into her mouth.

"I don't know. Ask Dreadlocks for an answer."

Joe? Sophomore Joe Hart? That can't be. He wants to be friends with everyone…or that's at least what the God Squad girls thought. Joe could be a completely different person inside.

Quinn waved her hand towards Santana. "Whoa, hold on. Joe wouldn't act that way with you guys. I mean, he's not a mean person."

"Please, you would know. You're the one that wants to rip his cardigans and skinny jeans apart, and reach down in his candy jar—"

Looks like someone's getting fierce and dirty at the dinner table.

"Santana!"

Quinn and Mercedes scolded the girl, and eventually 3 tables heard them.

"I'm serious, Quinn." Santana cocked an eyebrow at her and straightened her ponytail with her hands. "You're sitting there telling me that you don't have a crush on something when you do. Both of you are doing me wrong."

"Really funny, Santana. Stop causing a scene."

"I'm not being funny."

"It's not that big of a problem. Joe's been homeschooled all his life before coming to McKinley. It's not his fault that he hasn't met a gay person before."

"It's been three days, Quinn. He knows me well enough already."

Mercedes grabbed the Hi-C punch that the waitress brought over on a silver tray. "How do you know?"

"Oh come on. Who didn't see Brittany and me on the courtyard on Tuesday at a corner of the school?"

Quinn scoffed. "Uh, we didn't."

Mercedes handed Rachel and Quinn their drinks. "Yeah, we don't ditch class like you and Brittany do."

_Way to remind me, Mercedes._ Santana rolled her eyes and grabbed her drink. Poor girl is going to mess up her eyes when she's older.

"Are you sure he's not Satan's Little Helper? I just want to know. Someone tell me right now—"

"He's more Christian than any of us in the God Squad." Quinn had a very serious look on her face. She felt at war with Santana once again. Satan's Little Helper? Please…

"He carries a Bible everywhere with him. He prays to make his mother happy every day. He's very big on abstinence before marriage, so he's never even kissed a girl before."

"Oh, so we have a virgin. Or he's probably scared of coming out of the flannel closet as well. Tell him 'welcome to the club' for me."

Rachel tried to keep the tension between Quinn and Santana away. "Santana, could you please stop? Maybe he didn't reject you. Maybe he's thinking about this right now and you just don't know yet."

Santana calmly nodded. She finally took a seat in the booth seat without waking Brittany beside her. "You right, Rachel. You're absolutely right."

Quinn sighed. Thank God for Rachel settling all of that.

"And you know what else he could be thinking about?"

Santana, please shut it right now.

"Santana, you're making me mad right now. Stop it."

"I'm telling you, Quinn. Something's up with that boy. You watch. He'll have you hanging by the edge of the cross begging for mercy."

Silence.

"Let me out!"

Quinn was getting fed up with Santana saying these things about Joe. She didn't find him that bad. He agreed to go with her to the Valentine's Day party after all.

Rachel grabbed Quinn's arm. "She doesn't mean it that w—"

"She does. Do you know what that means? It's time for me to step out."

The blonde shook Rachel's hand away and took her purse with her to the door. Mercedes stepped out with her, leaving Santana and Rachel at the booth by themselves with a sleepy Brittany.

"Quinn, wait!"

She wasn't stopping. The red car in the parking lot beeped as she unlocked it from the doorway.

"Quinn!"

"What is it?"

Steam flashed out of Quinn's ears. She hasn't had this much tension with Santana since she replaced her as captain of the Cheerios.

"I know you're frustrated with her, but we came here to have some girl time. She'll get over this thing. I mean, Valentine's Day is once every year—"

Quinn leaned against the wall. "Well even on the one day to show love appreciation, she goes and argues with me about an innocent teenage boy."

No one can be as defensive as she.

"I understand that Joe may be…well, a little uncomfortable with some gay people. He has the right to feel what he wants to feel. That's something one bitch of a Cheerio needs to understand."

"You would never call your best friend a bitch, Quinn."

"That's how she acts! You haven't known her as much as I have. She doesn't care about everyone else. I'm just trying to teach her a lesson…and protect another friend."

All Mercedes could do. _And she's the one saying that she doesn't have anything with that boy._ She knew it would come naturally like she predicted earlier in the day.

She didn't want Quinn's blood pressure to rise, though. She was already steaming from Santana slashing vicious words at the boy.

"I understand, Quinn. It's not your fault. It's not anyone's fault, actually. We all have a way of thinking about things. Like I said, it's all natural."

Damn it, Mercedes.

The blonde stood there with her arms folded, watching Mercedes go back into the restaurant with the other girls. Great, so now two people proved her wrong on one issue. It's time for Quinn to prove Santana wrong on another.

* * *

Diiiiiing! Diiiiiiing!

The bell ring. School was already over beforehand. Any students in an afterschool activity scattered to their lockers to retrieve their stuff and go home.

"Joe, there's something I want to talk to you about."

All members of the God Squad left out of the classroom and to their lockers for their things. A worried Quinn Fabray was all ready to go, but went to find Joe first before leaving.

"Sure, what is it?"

They both leaned on the set of lockers and had a chat with each other. The devil's daughter knocked around in Quinn's head. She felt like it was going to kill her brain cells inside and rip her whole brain in half.

But she had to let her new friend know what was going on.

"It's about Santana—"

Joe seemed to already know. He felt ashamed of himself. "I know, Quinn. I've never really met a gay person before. I don't want to feel bad about myself, but I don't want Santana and Brittany to feel bad, either."

"I'm trying to protect you the best I can. I mean, we had a fight last night and…she's pretty pissed with the both of us."

"I see."

Poor Joe. _I didn't mean for anyone to be mad at me and Quinn. What am I gonna do now?_

"Well…is it possible to have time to think about this?"

"You'll only have until Tuesday, though."

"I know. There's a lot on my mind when it comes to this. My father is really strict on me when teaching me life lessons about sexuality and relationships. So…honestly, I don't know what to do just yet."

Quinn clutched his shoulder with her porcelain hand. Strict father, huh? Been there, done that.

She suddenly thought back to the day she, her parents, and Finn were at the dinner at the Fabray residence. Unexpectedly, Finn sung that song to her, which was beautiful but lead to consequences.

What was to know about how her mother and father would react to this? It was unknown.

What was to know about how they would scold Finn? It was unknown.

What was to know about how they were ever going to see their daughter like old times? It was unknown.

All pregnant Quinn could do back then was pray for her father to still love her and not let something as serious as a teen pregnancy get between them. Too bad he left, though. Now it's also unknown if he'll ever come back to the Fabray household and forgive her for what she did.

Oh Russell, oh Russell. Come love your daughter again.

"I don't know, either. No one really knows anything—not even the future result, to tell you the truth."

"That's understandable."

"Yeah. We just got to keep exploring, discovering, and praying, and we'll eventually get there."

She's really smart. Joe took that into consideration. He wanted to make a very good first impression on the school. They didn't know him yet, and he didn't know them. There was only one way to find out.

Teen Jesus turned to Quinn. He had a mild smile on his face. "Thank you for helping me out, Quinn."

"Anytime."

* * *

"Quinnie, what have I told you about doing homework at the lunch table?"

It was 5:45 in the evening. Judy sat across from Quinn at the dinner table, doing Algebra homework.

Judy had a rule about being occupied with other things while having a family dinner. It didn't seem like a family dinner, especially now. Quinn's sister, Frannie, was off in college somewhere, and Russell was gone. It was just Judy and Quinn alone.

"Mom, you do realize it's only the two of us, right?"

"I still find it disrespectful."

Yeah, sure. It's not like there's no quiz tomorrow anyway. She doesn't care.

The blonde moved her books to the floor. Her mother spotted something on her side of the table. The drawing. The drawing with the big heart in the middle of the page. "Quinn Fabray & Joe Hart" was written in the middle.

Under the table, Quinn packed her backpack and retrieved the pencils she dropped. "Mom, I have to stay afterschool again. I promised that I'd practice for Regionals coming up."

Judy nodded and direction her attention back to the picture. "Honey, who's Joe?"

Quinn's head hit the table. Ouch!

"What do you mean?" She popped up quickly and saw the drawing Mr. Crews caught her working on. She snatched it off the table before her mother could get to it. "What are you doing looking at this?"

"I just saw it laying there and just glanced over. And don't snatch from me again, missy."

The ashamed little girl placed the drawing on the floor next to her backpack.

"You've really got to stop this."

"Why? It's just a crush. It's not like anything big is going to happen."

"It happened before, and it will happen again."

"So what about what happened before? Do you really think I might repeat the same things that I did those last years in high school?"

Judy folded her hands together.

"How can you not? Look back at your life. You're with Finn first, and end up cheating on him with Puck. Then when you were with Puck, you end up pregnant. In junior year, you end up with Sam, and you cheat on him with Finn who happened to try and get over his feelings for Rachel. Then you want to get back with Puck in the beginning of your senior year, not knowing that he wants to be with a teacher and had a freakin' vasectomy! Then you want to be with Sam again, and he falls for Mercedes without you even trying anything."

Wow. A lot has screwed up with Quinn in high school, hasn't it?

"You're acting like you're not going to trust me with anything. Look, this is only a sophomore boy who just happened to ask me to the Valentine's Day party, knowing that I was going to be alone because of Sugar's lame rules about having a date—"

Judy froze.

"Wait, what did you say?"

Whoops. Shit just got real.

"I know. That's what Rachel told me basically. You know, the whole age thing."

Things started to heat up again just as the blonde cut up a piece of broccoli and placed it on her tongue.

"Quinn, after all you've been through, you can't do this, especially with someone two or three years younger than you."

"I'm telling you, Mom. Nothing's going to happen between me and Joe. This is all innocent."

"That's what you said about Sam Evans, and look where he is now."

The blonde teen pouted and slouched in her chair, taking a spoonful of mashed potatoes and put them in her mouth. Judy grew impatient with her.

"Quinn, what did I say about slouching? It messes up your posture."

"Has it ever occurred to you that it's my body and I'll do what I want with it?"

Silence.

The two just stared at each other, neither giving anything to add. Quinn continued to eat her food just before Judy spoke up.

"Quinn. Your bedroom. Now."

"Is it mandatory?"

"Right now, Quinn!"

Ugh. Good thing that Quinn was graduating in a few months. She could slouch, work on her homework at the table, and hang out with anyone of any age whenever she wanted to, without her mother giving exceptions and suggestions.

She grabbed her backpack and darted to her room. The bag fell with a thud on the ground. The blonde sat on the floor next to it and in front of the door so her mother couldn't open it and come in.

The picture stuck out of the bag. It was balled up a little because she didn't want her mother to look at what she was up to. Then it lead to all of this.

It taught Quinn a lesson in life: _it doesn't matter what other think about your thoughts; the only person it matters to…is yourself._


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

"Mom…can I talk with you?"

Joe, desperate for some answers, spoke with his mother. She was seated in the living room, reading another section of her Bible.

"Sure, buddy. What's on your mind?"

Other than Mercedes, Sam, and Quinn, Mrs. Hart is the only other person Joe feels comfortable talking about anything with. He loved and appreciated her as she did. They were best friends.

He can even remember before transferring to McKinley when he and his mother talked about experiencing the world around him since Joe won't be at home forever. There were more people out there. People who were smart, and people that weren't. People that were independent, and people that weren't. People who were blessed with everything they had, and people that weren't.

And now look where is now. Only after a week of conversing with people around his age, he's explored a lot.

He even explored the wicked side of one cheerleader who stands strong by her sexuality and her girlfriend. That's was definitely not easy.

He sat on the couch next to her mother as she pushed back some of the dreads that were hanging in his face. "You know Quinn Fabray, right?"

"The girl you've told me about the other day? Yes."

"Well, she has this friend. She wanted the God Squad to perform for her date for Valentine's Day. But…well, it's not that simple for me."

"In what way?"

"Well…she wants me to sing for her _girlfriend_."

Oh.

Joe's mother combed her hair back with her fingers. Then she pointed her eyes back at her son. "I'm not sure what the problem is, hon."

Really?

"But I thought you—"

"You know that I don't agree with everything your father says. He's on his square as always, Joe. You know this."

That's true.

"This makes it harder on me. I mean, my dad is totally against same-sex couples, and you're for it. I would be choosing one side over the other. And if I don't accept, then Santana will get mad at me."

He looked very worried about what she would do to him. He's heard stories about her slamming students against lockers, and throwing dodge balls at people to make their nose bleed.

His mother couldn't blame him. She accepted anyone no matter what race, sexuality, clique, or ethnicity. However, the man she dearly loves is the complete opposite.

It made her wonder how she's still with this guy. On the other hand, he did give her Joe. That was something she can't deny.

She placed her hand over the boy's hand that was resting on his knee. "No one's going to get mad at you."

"How do you know?"

"It's not like it's going to stick with her for the rest of her life. Besides, it'll look like you're performing for everyone going. She and her girlfriend won't be left out."

"Are you sure she's not going to torture me?"

His mother laughed. "Of course not. I'm positive that you'll get along with anyone just fine."

Well, Sugar _did_ say that she wanted the God Squad to perform for _everyone_ at the Valentine's Day party. That included Brittany and Santana. Should there be a reason to worry?

Well…a little. His dad would be on the fence about it.

A grin spread on his mother's face. "Speaking of 'getting along', I met this Quinn Fabray of yours."

She tapped the dreadlocked boy on his nose. This made Joe blush once again. He couldn't hide the smile on his face. His mother played along. "She seemed pretty happy to see you today."

"Mom, stop. I'm blushing here."

His mother giggled.

Joe sighed. "Actually, she was the one that gave me the advice to explore what you can see, do, or say, discover any results, and just pray for the better. It gave me a lot of thought."

Very impressive. _Her mother must be proud of her then_. Joe's mother put her hand on her son's back. "Then that's what maybe you should do. I mean, we pray for everything: a strong family, friends, get rid our illnesses. It helps us get on our way."

"Yeah, I wouldn't have even met Quinn without the help of God, right?"

"Exactly."

The dreadlocked boy nodded. "Thanks for your help, Mom."

His mother smiled. "Sure thing, sport. I love you."

Before he went to his room, she pecked his forehead and gave him a warm hug. Now all he needed to do was think this through and hope for a happy Santana Lopez at Sugar's V-Day party.

_I really hope she forgives me after all that. I just hope so. I believe this will make up for it._

* * *

Quinn and Rachel were at the mall on Saturday afternoon, looking in a store called C.A.L.P's Fashion Department. They had the best clothes for all sizes. Rachel remembered buying a party dress from here.

"I thought you don't even wear party dresses."

There was a lot about one Rachel Berry that Quinn needed to learn.

"It was a light blue with silver sequins on it. I think they still sell it here." She looked around and spotted a rack in the section with dresses, skirts, and shawls. "Over there."

It looked cuter than Quinn ever imagined. It was sleeveless and had sequins going down the middle. The skirt part of the dress reached to Rachel's knees. Quinn wondered what party she attended going like that.

"Wow…it looks…wow. It's beautiful."

"I know, right?"

"But this is a _Valentine's Day_ party. I don't think light blue is the right color."

Rachel critically observed the dress a little more. "You're right. Let's keep looking."

Rachel and Quinn split up and searched for something to wear. Everything looked just right. Baby-doll dresses for those who wanted to look cute. Short dresses for those who wanted to look hot. Sleeveless or slim dresses for those who wanted to be in between. This store had everything!

At that moment, the blonde spotted a perfect dress hanging against the wall. It was all red and sparkly. There were spaghetti straps on it so her dress wouldn't slip off. Perfect.

"Rachel! Come quick! What do you think of this?"

"I think it's too much. I mean, that would look to old for your so-called date, wouldn't it?"

Quinn gritted her teeth, not turning around to see Santana behind her.

Brittany was next to her, glaring at the dress Quinn found. "I don't know, Santana. In today's society, wearing dresses that show a little of your breasts is some kind of trend."

Rachel walked over. She saw a frustrated, red-faced Quinn Fabray facing away from two girls in Cheerios leotards. _Oh God, what is she doing?_

"Um, Quinn. Did you want me to see something."

Quinn couldn't answer. Santana had whispered something into Brittany's ear behind her back. The blonde combed her hair back and stepped away from the dress. "No. Let's go."

Rachel stopped her in her tracks. "Go? But why? We just got here."

"And now we're _just_ leaving." Quinn pushed the brunette's hands off her shoulders, and dragged her to the entrance.

Santana held onto her small, black purse. "What's wrong, Fabray? Scared of me? Or are you scared of yourself?"

Okay, that was it.

"You're going to stop talking to me like that—"

"Or what? It's not like Teen Jesus is going to magically appear here and defend you like Brittany's leprechaun claimed to have done months back."

Brittany gasped. "Santana, that's a terrible thing to say. He actually went to Ireland and back within 3 seconds just to bring me four-leafed clovers to hang in my room. If leprechauns are real, teen versions of Jesus are, too, aren't they?"

Quinn smirked at Brittany. Boy, did she seem smart when she wanted to be. "You know what, Britt. You're right. We shouldn't discriminate someone for what they believe in."

Santana scoffed and pulled Brittany away. "_The both of you are acting ridiculous._"

Quinn's eyed bugged out of her head. "What did you say to me?"

"Oh, what? Are you deaf now?"

Quinn put her hands on her hips. "If I'm deaf, then you must be blind. After all, no one wears a Cheerios uniform every day like you do, right? And you don't even see the students in pain at her school because you along with some dumb ass football and hockey players are so busy bringing them down."

Santana let go of Brittany's arms and pointed a finger in the blonde's face. "Call me blind one more time."

"Oh, I can give you worse. How about Blind Bitch with a Bluff Butt?"

Oh snap!

Santana dropped her things beside Brittany and pulled Quinn forward, digging her nails deep in her smooth arms.

Quinn, her head being pushed down, searched for Santana's head and pulled at her ponytail. Rachel and Brittany couldn't watch this any longer.

"Santana, stop it!"

"Quinn, let go of her!"

The two girls fighting caused a scene. Three random teenagers had their phones out, filming every second of Santana trying to bite Quinn's neck, and Quinn trying to kick Santana in the leg.

They yelled backstabbing remarks at each other. They cursed each other out. They ripped at every body part they could get to.

The girls continued until the store security guard pulled them away. Boy, he was strong.

He pushed Santana so far away that she almost bumped into the socks and underwear table. He held Quinn by the arms, almost squeezing her radius and her ulna closer together.

"You girls, out!"

Santana pointed to Quinn. "She started it!"

"I said OUT!"

This was literally Quinn's first time she was kicked out a department store in the mall for some crazy nonsense with someone. Boy, was she embarrassed or what?

Santana was the same. She was more determined to get revenge on Quinn Fabray rather than embarrassed. Her cat eyes stared at the blonde as she mouthed, "_You're so going down, Fabray!_"

Brittany grabbed Santana's things and pulled Santana to the entrance. "Santana, come on!"

Rachel patted Quinn on the arm and handed her her white leather bag. "Quinn, we got to go."

Quinn straightened her hair. _And you're the one saying that we just got here. Really ironic of you, Rachel._

Rachel poked her head out of the department store entrance. Santana and Brittany headed north to another store. She leaded Quinn to a bench in the center and sat down.

"Quinn, you can't do this with her."

"How can I not? Rachel, do you see what she's trying to do to me?"

Rachel tried settling her down. Her hand was placed on Quinn's shoulder. The girl was boiling like water in a pot.

"I know, she pissed you off about you and Joe. I get it. But that doesn't mean you should go at her. We're going to college soon. Wouldn't be silly for the teachers there to see that you got into a fight with a _high school_ friend?"

Quinn hugged herself as if she was shivering. "Everyone's messing with me. _I'm_ even messing with me. Can I just get a moment where I don't have to deal with these people?"

Oh, Quinn Fabray. Rachel understood how she felt. She could see it in her dazzling eyes.

Kind of hard to believe how they would bicker at each other after all they've been through together. In fact, they'd team up to go at _Rachel_. Well, at least Santana still does.

Quinn opened her wallet. There was a picture of her, Santana, and Brittany inside. Her lips trembled.

"I'm…I'm so sorry, Rachel."

Rachel hugged her with one arm. "Don't be sorry. It's not your fault that you're defensive of yourself. And that whole thing with your new friend…I thought it over. Santana's wrong about everything she said. I guess I was, too."

How was Rachel wrong? When in her life has Quinn ever—

Oh yeah, that.

"But…how am I going to make Santana my friend again? She looks as if she doesn't want to speak with me again."

Rachel shrugged.

Rachel remembered when Hiram, one of her dads, would do this when she'd have rough problems with her relationship with Finn Hudson. He'd hug her tightly and whisper into her ear, "_Everything's going to be alright_."

Rachel would do the same for her best friend, too.

She hugged Quinn tighter, both of their heads touching each other. Quinn had heavy breaths blowing out of her mouth. Rachel calmed her down.

"We'll find a way."

* * *

It was Monday afternoon. Quinn had a stressful yet eventful day.

Just when the bell to end the last class rang, she ran into room 203 where the God Squad met for their meetings. No one was there yet. She shut the door and leaned against the door. She just needed another moment alone.

"Quinn! Quinn, can you open the door?"

Oh great. Just what she needed.

The blonde turned around to see Joe Hart through the glass window. She opened the door for him and he stepped through.

The first thing he saw on her was the scratch that was engraved on the poor girl's face. It looked like blood came out of it previously.

"Good God, Quinn. What happened to you?"

He was close to touching her face to see the scar with a closer look. The blonde stepped to the side and faced away from him.

"I'm not going to start talking about this. I need a break right now."

"From what? Maybe I can help you."

He tried everything he could. Quinn refused. "It's just—I can't say right now. I just can't."

Joe sat down in a chair next to her. Just last night, he was praying more about his thoughts on Santana and her girlfriend, and whether he should follow his father's rules or his mother's. He wanted to know what Quinn was going through so he can pray for her, too, but she wasn't confessing.

"It's about Santana, isn't it?"

Santana. Santana Lopez. Lesbian Cheerio, Santana Lopez. Ex best friend of Quinn Fabray, Santana Lopez. It was hard to suck all of that in.

"I shouldn't be talking about this with you, Joe. I don't want you worried for me. Just keep thinking about you and—"

"But I care about you guys. I can't let you be like this."

Quinn, how can you turn that down? Seriously.

Joe's worried puppy eyes stared at Quinn. He felt his fingers squeezing Quinn's hand. Quinn thought he felt warm. He was heating up, too. Any thought of this sassy Cheerio hit the both of them.

Quinn was silent for a moment. She couldn't look Teen Jesus in the eye and sternly tell him no. She just couldn't.

"Joe…I find it really sweet that you really want to help me. But this is my problem. And don't forget, I'm trying to help you before you get physically hurt like I did."

Her voice sounded heavy. It sounded like she wanted to cry, almost.

What's there to do now? Quinn's not letting the dreadlocked boy help her out. There has to be a way.

Somehow he felt like there was a spirit literally behind him. An evil one. One that held a black belt in her hands, waiting for him to say something she didn't want to hear.

Another one stood beside. A blonde, an angel, and innocent.

If he rejected them, then let all hell break loose. That black belt would come flying at him and Quinn, and the flesh on their bodies would all turn as red as roses.

That spirit…was Santana. Alongside her…Brittany.

Joe couldn't risk that. _There's really one thing I can do…_

"If…if it'll help, I can perform that song she requested for Brittany."

Quinn wasn't sure if he really wanted to do it for her, or just wanted to make her feel better.

Seemed like both, but kinda one-sided.

"How can you when you're on the fence about homosexual and lesbian people? Isn't that against your religious values or something?"

"It's against my _dad's_ values. My mom agrees with the idea. So…that kinda puts me in the middle."

_So I see…_

Dad. It was always the dad's issue in something like this. He doesn't agree on much with neither his son nor his wife. Hard to believe since Quinn thought Joe lived in an equality-like household of some sort. She was wrong.

Quinn turned the other way. It seemed like the only solution. Joe feeling uncomfortable about doing it for a gay couple started this problem anyway.

"What you're saying is that, your father stresses this problem to you?"

Joe stuttered a little. "Well, yeah, and the fact that I never met a gay person before Santana. I was homeschooled after all."

Quinn looked down at her feet. Joe meant very well. He really wants Quinn and Santana to restore their friendship, and for Santana to forgive him for everything he did.

Joe held her hand tighter. "Quinn, please. Let me help. You shouldn't be like this."

His word sounded really desperate and determined when they came out of his mouth. Quinn took a minute to take his words into consideration.

"How will I know if she's going to forgive me for what I said?"

"You've been best friends with her for a long time. Would something as simple as this keep you two apart forever?"

"Hopefully not."

"That's where we're trying to aim towards, right? Santana can't be mad at us forever. Friends aren't like that."

The girl turned to the dreadlocked boy and smiled. Something in her told her that he was right. And all of those giddy guesses that the girls were begging to know were true were…almost real. She really _did_ like him.

Quinn was sucking up the best ideas and opinions she's heard all day.

"You know, you're a great help to me."

"You've been telling me that a couple of times already, haven't you?"

"What, you don't like the special attention I'm giving you?"

Joe chuckled. "Okay, maybe a little."

Quinn joined in with a laugh. She started to see things positively. Even more than she thought she would.

"Maybe this could work out."

"Maybe it will. Who knows? It just takes more exploring and praying, doesn't it?"

_Took the words straight out of my mouth!_

"Yeah."

They both smiled and waited for the rest of the God Squad to come. It shouldn't really take long. Who knows? Sam might be somewhere in the school trying to flirt with Mercedes again for all they knew.

Quinn's eyes darted back at Joe's. "So are you ready to do this thing?"

It took time and some help to figure this one through.

"Yeah, I'm ready."


	8. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

"Good evening, and welcome to the Sugar Shack!"

Sugar Motta would always greet a guest entering with a cheery, sweet voice and her infamous, charming smiles.

Every student at McKinley and any guest they invited walked into Breadstix after being welcomed by the hostess of the night. The little ball of excitement directed people to tables and booth seats surrounding the restaurant.

The place was getting well packed. Students from all grades, their significant others, and the sorority girls that Puck offered a date to came and filled the room.

Even the God Squad came and made their way to a table close to the stage that was set up by the bare wall with a red glowing sign that read "_Sugar Shack_".

"Well, Sam and Joe, don't you look handsome?"

The leader of the God Squad had her hands on her curvy hips, impressed by how nice both boys were looking. Although Joe didn't have much formal wear, he still wore his maroon cardigan for the special occasion.

"And doesn't our chocolate thunder look hot, too?" Sam winked at Mercedes while checking her out, and she giggled back.

The boys had to admit that Mercedes was attractive in the pink dress and black heels she wore.

The girl slightly stroked her hair from on the top of her head to the bottom. "Thank you, I try." She twirled around and did a little curtsy. Even a guy with his date saw her and thought she looked as Sam said.

Sam's eyes pointed to every position in the room. "Where's Quinn?"

"She said she had to make a stop first." Joe sat down between Mercedes and an empty seat.

Mercedes placed her purse down under her chair. "I hope she won't be gone long. We wouldn't want to start without her."

The three sat at the table for a couple of seconds just before a junior girl in an awfully tight red dress walked over. Her lips were really thin and full of red lipstick. She reminded Sam of one of the Hooter's girls or something like that.

"Hey guys. Welcome to the Sugar Shack. I hope you have a fabulous time tonight on Valentine's Day. We have activities in the other dining area if you wish to entertain yourselves. I hope you night is full of love. Enjoy yourselves!"

Sam and Mercedes were already up just as the girl left. Joe didn't move for a second. He still wanted to wait on Quinn for a while before anything started.

Mercedes whirled back around at him. Joe was feeling lonely without Quinn here to celebrate with him. Mercedes walked back to catch him while Sam met up with Glee club members, Mike Chang and Artie Abrams.

Her soft hands touched Joe's back which was covered with his dreads in a ponytail. "Joseph, you okay?"

"I'll be fine."

However, he continued to look out the restaurant windows from his seat. He checked for a girl with pretty, short blonde hair to walk in the doorway. Was that her? Or what about her? Nope. No Quinn Fabray just yet.

Maybe in the next three seconds? Three minutes? Three hours?

Mercedes's other hand reached out to grab his left hand. "Quinn will be here soon. She wouldn't be late to perform with us on Valentine's Day, right? We can still have fun before she gets here."

It was better than nothing anyways.

_Poor thing._ Mercedes couldn't abandon him. She also didn't want Quinn to actually show up late at the moment when they have to sing. Some part of her reached out to Quinn wherever she was and shouted for her just when she followed Joe to the other dining room.

Quinn Fabray, where are you?

* * *

The truth was that she _was_ actually running an errand, but only to visit Rachel Berry's house and see if she was going. After a cup of tea Rachel's dad, Leroy prepared, she was on her way.

She actually arrived ten minutes after Mercedes took Joe out of the main dining area. The blonde stood inside the door of Breadstix. She had spotted Santana Lopez at a table, feeding food to her girlfriend as usual.

The God Squad was nowhere in sight. She came too late to see them. Quinn didn't feel safe at all.

The three members of the God Squad were inside. They hung around the students who were playing Spin the Bottle. So far, a red-headed boy got kissed about four times already.

Sam was cheering them on. However, Joe couldn't continue to watch. The thought of random pairs making out in public for no reason didn't appeal to him.

Besides, he was still worried about Quinn. Maybe she was still feeling uneasy about Santana. Whatever way, he couldn't see her.

A senior boy, supposedly drunk, bumped into him. The strong-smelling wine almost slipped onto Joe's cardigan. Good thing he backed away before he caused a mess.

_It could've been worse_, he thought.

Mercedes walked back over to him and wrapped her arm around him.

"I don't know what's keeping her. Really, I don't. I wish she'd hurry up and get here, too."

No response. Joe was busy watching two guys play darts on the other side of the room.

"Do you want me to check for you?"

Joe only shrugged. He was really quiet tonight. At least it would save his voice for the big performance.

Mercedes left Sam and Joe to watching the games being played in the second dining room, and searched the main area to find Quinn. She saw a lot of red, black, white, and pink in the room. However, none of the faces looked familiar.

She headed towards the door. A young girl with a pink, white, and red-striped dress stood there, leaning in the same spot she did the other night.

Quinn Fabray.

Mercedes darted towards the front door and stopped. She and the blonde faced each other. Quinn couldn't look directly into her eyes. Whether it was how dark it was compared to inside, or she just felt the shame running through her.

"When did you get here?"

"Fifteen minutes ago."

"Joe was worried about you."

Quinn played with her fingers, feeling even more ashamed of herself. Mercedes folded her arms. "Imagine if you didn't show at all."

The blonde stuttered. "M-Mercedes, I understand. It's just that…that, well—"

The curved girl huffed. She turned quickly to the devil in the black dress sitting with Brittany, and then back at Quinn.

"She's not going to mess with you. We're not going to let her. Besides, Joe's going to make things right with her."

Oh Joe. Quinn hoped this would work, but has a feeling that it won't.

"You're going to be okay, Quinn. Now march your butt in this restaurant and have fun with the rest of us."

Well, that was very enthusiastic of her.

As soon as Mercedes grabbed her arm, Quinn pulled back.

"Mercedes, wait!"

"Wait on what?"

"I need a minute here first!"

Mercedes scoffed again. _That's what she always says, and it ends up being half an hour!_

"You've had all the minutes of the day to do that. Now come on."

"Mercedes, let me go!"

Mercedes literally dragged Quinn into the second entrance of the restaurant. There was no going back. She was already in. People spotted her. Sugar ran over and put on her cheery-chipper facial expression.

"Hey there, Quinn! Welcome to the Sugar Shack. Feel free to shower your day with sugary, sweet love and loads of fun!"

Shit. Can she be any louder?

And there she was. Santana only glanced over for a second and saw Quinn beside Mercedes. She sternly stared at her, and the blonde gave a worried glance back.

Mercedes looked in the same direction. The tension between the two, mainly in Santana, was showing. She couldn't watch anymore. She pulled Quinn to the other room.

There was thumping, shouting, and hysterical laughing. A few drunk people were playing a game on the pool table. Surprisingly, they could be heard over the music playing in the main dining area. Sugar was probably too occupied with greeting people to even notice.

The girls found Sam and Joe at a game table. Quinn lightly tapped Joe's shoulder, showing off her infamous smile.

"Hey Joe."

His smile came back. "Quinn."

The blonde gave a sweet hug to the dreadlocked boy. "I heard you were looking for me. I'm sorry I didn't come earlier." Her voice was as innocent as a 7-year-old's.

Joe turned to the doorway where the main hall was. He couldn't spot Santana, but he had a hint that Quinn met up with her. "Did you see Santana? Did she try to hit you again?"

Sam stood alert looking for the Cheerio and her girlfriend. "Whoops, cat fight alert." He pretend to check his invisible watch and get up to leave. "Looks like I should—"

Really ignorant.

"Sam." Mercedes called to him as sternly and loudly as she could before he exited.

The blonde boy sheepishly returned to his chair. Quinn stood behind Joe's chair and placed her small hands on his shoulders. Mercedes looked all three of them in the eye. "Look, we're not here for trouble, okay? We're going to have fun, perform for everyone, and that's it. No drama."

Quinn turned to the doorway again. Coast seemed clear.

"I hope so."

Mission accomplished…for now. "Alrighty then. It's party time!"

* * *

More guests poured in the doorway when the party continued. About 10 guests had made it to the wine bottles before the majority of guests came.

Quinn joined some students from her class to play card games. So far, Mike Chang was close to winning and his girlfriend, Tina Cohen-Chang, was cheering him on.

Resident bad boy, Noah Puckerman, took almost 5 minutes to make his next move. A senior girl had her legs crossed and her cards in her caramel hands, impatiently waiting on Puck.

"Are you scared to put a card down? Seriously?"

"Who says Mr. Badass-ador is scared?"

Quinn couldn't help but chuckle at him. Sure, he wasn't the smartest person she met, but he was right. He _was_ badass.

Seven of clubs.

Quinn was next. She placed down a two of hearts.

"Wow, Quinn. You're good at this. You already have 4 stacks of cards over there. You're tied with Mike now."

It seemed to be Quinn's lucky night. Usually she wouldn't gamble or bet when it came to card games. But she was neck-in-neck with Mike, and was close to getting a basket of candies, forty bucks, and the senior girl's bracelet.

Next set of cards fell to the middle. Puck put down a jack of diamonds, Mike put down a six of spades, the senior girl put down a three of diamonds, and Quinn put down an ace of clubs. She won the game.

"Damn it, Quinn!"

"Oh, get over yourself, Puck. I told you not to bet twenty-five bucks. You did it anyways. And like you taking my virginity…I'm taking my cash."

Nice.

Mike shook hands with the blonde, calling it a fair game.

After putting the money in her purse and the bracelet on her wrist, she met up with Joe who came back in the room to find her. He seemed awfully nervous. "Quinn…um, it's time for us to go."

Quinn stared into his eyes. It wasn't hot in here, but he was sweating his forehead off.

"Joseph…are you okay?"

"I'll…um—"

The poor boy breathed heavily. In a matter of minutes, he was going to perform onstage. He couldn't tell if it was Santana or the stage fright. One of them was bringing him down right now.

He looked back at Quinn. She was worried about him. This was the first time she's seen him like this.

"I'll be fine. Should I get to a fan or something?"

The blonde chuckled at how fidgety he was.

"There aren't really fans here." Quinn looked around and found the napkin container on one of the dining tables with the games on it. She grabbed a couple of napkins and dabbed Teen Jesus' forehead. "You'll do great."

He was a little less nervous, but he was still pretty anxious.

Quinn and Joe made their way to the other side of the stage where Sam and Mercedes were waiting. They watched as the hostess came up to one of the bedazzled microphones on the platform.

"Testing…testing?!" Everyone turned in her direction. As soon as she got their attention, she waved her hands and spoke in her party-DJ voice. "What up, McKinley?!"

Everyone in the room applauded and cheered. This made Joe even more nervous. Even with his hair in a ponytail, it wasn't cooling him off anymore.

Sugar, onstage, pointed to the sign behind her with a grin. "Welcome to the Sugar Shack!" The guests cheered again.

Before beginning, the hostess told everyone—excluding Artie—to look under their chairs for gift cards, coupons, and cheese hearts she left there. And with that, she welcomed the God Squad to center stage.

Holy crap.

Sam and Mercedes stood at the microphone stands, leaving the middle one empty for Joe. Quinn was on the other side with a microphone in her hand, watching out for Santana and Brittany.

Joe took a microphone off the stand and stood in the middle. Everyone was silent afterwards. They all eyed him as his legs shook.

Quinn tapped her fingers nervously. Teen Jesus was standing there with almost nothing to say. She whispered, "_You can do it, Joe!_" so he could hear him.

The dreadlocked boy turned back to the audience. "Hi, I'm Joe. I…I don't know many of you. Well, _any_ of you, really. Homeschooled."

Silence. Crickets chirped in Joe's brain. Awkward.

Santana was in the audience. She scoffed and shared an evil snicker with Brittany.

The boy's chest was beating very fast. He couldn't control himself. He had to move on somehow. "Anyway, Santana Lopez asked me if the God Squad could sing a love song to Brittany S. Pierce."

The girls looked back towards him. A part of Santana felt that she was going to be embarrassed if Joe would just reject her in front of everybody. She glanced at Brittany. She seemed surprised. That seemed like a sign of something.

Joe had already walked his way to the girls' table. He looked Santana in the eye. She looked beautiful and everything, but she was as feisty as Quinn described her. A lump stuck in Joe's throat.

"And…well, after thinking and praying about it, I knew there was only one answer."

Santana stared him down. He looked like fresh meat. She thought Joe was going to be in big trouble.

Joe's heart continued beating. It almost burst out of his chest. He took a gulp. He felt half better. Then a smile cracked on his face.

"Absolutely. Love is love, man, so…"

Santana found it unexpected. Still, she smiled back. Brittany turned to her, shaking her head and smiling adorably.

Joe started to step back, visually showing the rest of the God Squad to them before going to take his spot on the platform. "Here's to Brittany, from Santana."

Applause. Everyone applauded the anxious, young boy. He smiled back at everyone and then stood in between Sam and Mercedes behind the abandoned microphone stand.

The dreadlocked boy glared at Quinn over Sam's shoulder. She was smiling at Brittany and Santana in the audience, and then started singing. It was a mash-up of "Cherish" by Madonna and "Cherish" by The Association. Quinn sounded beautiful.

"_Cherish is the word I used to describe…all the feeling that I have hiding here for you inside…_"

Some couples in the audience either watched them or danced together to the God Squad's singing.

Joe joined in with Mercedes and Sam on the little back-up dancing and singing. Over in her seat, Brittany was dancing along, enjoying her Valentine's Day present. Santana had to agree.

The God Squad took their microphones and danced their way to Santana and Brittany's table. They surrounded them like a force field. Quinn and Mercedes' voices were soft and pretty. Sam and Joe joined in with harmonies.

Brittany was having fun herself. She hadn't gotten this much attention since she won senior class president.

Quinn smiled at her and Santana. They both looked back at Quinn as she swayed and belted her heart out. Brittany grabbed her girlfriend just as the God Squad returned to the platform. They danced together and hugged each other.

Mercedes was liking the progress that was happening right now. Santana and Brittany were dancing together, Quinn and Joe weren't nervous anymore, and everyone was having fun as she promised.

Sam side-stepped towards her and sung next to her. The girl grinned and laid her head on Sam's shoulder.

The God Squad ended on some _oohs_ just as Brittany leaned forward to her girlfriend and kissed her.

Their kiss was wet, sweet, and worth waiting for. The black-haired Cheerio felt her girlfriend licking her tongue and biting on her full lips coated with rosy red lipstick. Brittany's arms tied Santana into her chest. Both their pairs of breasts rubbed against each other. It was like they were actually in heaven.

Santana sucked in every loving moment she was having at the moment. The party guests were still cheering them on, but they didn't notice.

Sugar returned to the stage, waving her arm once again. She turned back at the God Squad, who were leaving offstage and to their table. "Jesus! Holla!"

Mercedes couldn't contain her excitement. "You guys did great."

Quinn skipped to Joe and hugged him, heat being absorbed by Joe's cardigan. She prayed for everything to work out now that Santana and Brittany got what they wanted. "_Thank you. Thank you so much._"

The dreadlocked boy returned the favor. "No problem."

He felt so warm inside. Quinn was like a baby blanket little kids would beg their parents not to take away from them. He'd beg Quinn to not stop hugging him like she did. Her hair and body spray smelled sweet. Strawberry flavored. Refreshing.

"Hey, guys! Kudos for the performance!"

Joe opened his eyes and saw the brunette Rachel Berry. She had just arrived in the middle of the song with Finn Hudson.

Quinn and Mercedes gave Rachel a sweet hug before the music for the next song played.

"The party's pumping now, I see."

Mercedes started shaking her hips to the beat of the music. "It sure is. Come on, let's dance!"


	9. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

"_If you see a faded sign on the side of the road that says fifteen miles to the—_"

"_Love shack, love shack, yeah, yeah! I'm headin' down the Atlanta highway, lookin' for the love getaway, headed for the love getaway!_"

Mercedes and Rachel had gone to the stage to join Brittany in back-up singing for Blaine Anderson, another Glee club member. Everyone was suddenly dancing and moving to the groovy music. The sorority girls that Puck invited all started dancing in a conga line behind Blaine.

The night was heading off to a great start. Everyone was having fun. Some of the guests were captivated by Brittany and Santana's first kiss in public. Oh, the imagery in that warm and sweet make-out session.

During the middle of the song, Sam and Joe were dancing together off the side and conversing with Finn.

"I liked you guys' song!"

Unfortunately, neither Sam nor Joe could hear over the music. Sam moved a little closer, but that didn't help. "What?!"

"I said, I liked you guys' song!"

No luck there.

Joe tried figuring out what Finn was trying to tell him, but he had a hard time thinking with the singing and music playing going on. At that moment, he felt someone grab his arm and jerk him back.

Quinn Fabray.

He couldn't hear her, either, but he suspected that the girl wanted to dance with him. He ran along with her.

Teen Jesus could tell that the blonde was very excited to be dancing with him. A big grin showed on her face, and her glimmering eyes shined on Joe's face. She twirled around every chance she could, the skirt part of her dress twirling off her slim legs.

Joe was excited, too. Not only he did great with the God Squad with Brittany's present from Santana, but he also got to attend his first party and dance with Quinn.

Nothing could possibly go wrong.

The song ended with balloons falling down from the ceiling where they were hanging. Everyone cheered and tossed the balloons everywhere. Rachel, Finn, Sam, and Mercedes even had a little balloon-toss fight.

Sugar returned to the stage and took the microphone sitting on one of the microphone stands.

"Love shack, y'all! What's up?!"

Some of the guests thought she had one too many tonight.

"I hope you all are enjoying the party so far!" She clapped along with the commotions of cheering. "Enjoy the rest of the party. Make your Valentine's Day full of sugary, sweet love!"

Regular stereo music started playing and the guests went back to mingling and playing party games.

Quinn and Rachel were at a table having some fruit punch together.

"So Quinn, it worked out after all, didn't it?"

"I hope it did. I haven't heard from Santana about it, though."

"Why don't you go find her?"

"I'd rather enjoy the rest of the party first. Maybe I'll call her later on or something." The blonde sipped her cup and then faced Rachel again. "So, why were you late? What were you and Finn doing?"

Rachel's eyes searched the room. Finn was over at another table playing cards with Puck and Artie. They didn't mind the party at all.

Rachel wasn't sure if she wanted to tell Quinn anything about what was going on. Rachel thought she and Finn were perfect, true. But their argument before the party almost caused a lot in their relationship.

Quinn looked her best friend in the eye. She looked almost worried. "Rachel…"

The brunette shook her head, coming out of space. "S-Sorry. I just had something on my mind right now."

Quinn placed her hand over Rachel's and tapped it. "It's fine. You're free to tell me anytime you want. We can talk later about it."

"Sure."

The girls wandered away from each other. A slow love song came on, and each couple started dancing together. It looked bittersweet. One couple took center stage and had their moment like the two lesbian Cheerios.

Rachel found the other dining area. Sam, Mercedes, and Joe came out, conversing amongst themselves. They found something to be really hilarious going on inside.

"I saw you and your date tonight. You guys looked cute."

_My date?_

The blonde waved her hands in front of her. "No, no, no. He's not a _date_, per say. He's more like…a friend who wanted to help me out so much."

Rachel smirked. "Just a friend. Come on, Quinn. You dragged him over and twirled around the young boy."

"Doesn't everyone do that nowadays?"

Rachel scoffed, believing that she wasn't gullible enough for Miss Brainiac Fabray, and drank the rest of her punch. She caught a tall, handsome boy with a buzz cut come over, reaching for the brunette's soft hand.

"Care to dance?"

Rachel took Finn's hand, and rested her head on his chest. Quinn smiled at her ex boyfriend's dwarf stepping side by side with her. They looked sort of cute to her.

"Hey Quinn."

The blonde turned to the dreadlocked boy standing before her. He had a slight smile on his face, shyly looking down at the girl and listening the music playing on surround sound.

"Hey there, Joe. Are you having fun just yet?"

"Yeah." The music continued. "W-Would you care to dance with me?"

Quinn couldn't hold in her smile. He was acting like the gentlemen she never thought she'd see. It was very charming and welcoming.

She grabbed Joe's hand and got up out of her seat. She skipped over with him and placed her arms around Joe's arms and neck. Joe's hands were on Quinn's back and waist. They danced at perfect timing.

Sam and Mercedes were dancing together as well, and they glanced over to see the chemistry between Quinn and Joe. They looked adorable.

Mercedes looked up at Sam. She wished she had that same joy. "I really wish I was with you. You know it's difficult for me, right?"

Sam nodded unfortunately.

"If I was never with Shane—not saying this as you're my back-up or anything—but I was never with him…I'd be with you. I want us to have that joy. I'll find a way."

Mercedes' words made Sam feel a little better. He hugged Mercedes back, their warm bodies touching each other.

"No. _We'll_ find a way."

* * *

_Man, it's really hot…_

Joe was nervously looking around past Quinn. More sweat rolled down from his forehead. It felt like it was almost eighty-nine degrees and rising.

The blonde glared at his eyes. The poor thing was sweating more, soaking the roots of his dreads.

"Joe…sweetheart, are you okay?"

Quinn was concerned about him. He went from being distressed to normal and back. She assumed that he had asthma, but he didn't have any issues with breathing.

"Joseph, look at me." Her voice was smooth enough so Joe could hear. She quickly retrieved more napkins from a dining table and wiped the leaking sweat away. "You seem pretty nervous. Are you okay? Are you claustrophobic or something?"

_Claustrophobic? What?_ Words weren't even clear to him anymore.

He was completely zoned out. All he could think about was the pretty lady in front of him, tying her arms around his neck and hair.

Poor Joe was so disappointed with himself. All he wanted was to have a normal, fun time with his friends. Instead, he ends up getting distraught by Quinn's radiance. He had nowhere to run from this.

Quinn patted his shoulders slightly. He came out of space again. "Joe, I'm getting scared. Are you okay?"

Joe stuttered. "Y-Yeah, I'm…I'm fine. It's just that—"

Wait, what was he doing? He felt as if he was going ahead of himself. He had a lot of daydream fantasies playing like Hollywood romance films in his brain. Only difference was that Quinn Fabray was the star. No one else was featured. No one else. Just Quinn Fabray.

Teen Jesus stared into the girl's hazel eyes. They were blinding his. Her golden hair was set perfectly on her head with the hair clip embroidered with the pink flower. Her arms surrounding his body made him a little comfortable, but very tingly.

The blonde looked back at him. He looked so nervous. A little sweat came from his forehead again, and it's not even that hot in the room. He took a few breaths, all somewhat deep. His head kept shooting around past the girl, down at his feet, and then at her.

At one point, he still looks at her with no words coming out, no more heavy breathing, and no alert eyes set on the rest of the restaurant. All he could think about was her. What was going on?

He slowly let go of her waist and took a step back. "I'm…I'm _so_ sorry."

Quinn's arms had fallen to her sides and the boy had ran to the men's bathroom. He had to refresh himself and snap out of it. Thinking of all the possibilities of what was going on, the blonde took a seat back down where she was.

Sam, from the other side of the room, got his eyes to follow Joe's direction. He let go of Mercedes and then stepped to the archway.

"Something's wrong with Joe. I'll take care of it."

Mercedes grew worried, too. He didn't look sick to her, but he just walked fast into the boys' restroom—and left Quinn behind! The blonde still sat where she was, looking at everyone else, anxious.

What happened? What did they do?

"Joseph! Joe!"

The blonde boy opened the door to the men's restroom. Turns out that it was contaminated by drunk party guests who've outdone themselves and upchucked everything they drank. Even Puck got a little sick.

"Joe, come on out! It smells in here!"

Sam covered his nose from the puke in the corner by the radiator and in one of the bathroom stalls.

"I…I just can't!"

What? First he wanted Quinn to go with him to the dance. Now he and Sam were in the bathroom, taking up the rest of their time.

"Well, at least tell me what's wrong?"

"Why? Did Quinn ask you?"

"No one had to ask me. I saw you."

This was embarrassing. About three or four other guys were in the room, presumably listening to their long distance-type conversation. The dreadlocked boy came from around a little corner and leaned against the wall where Sam was standing.

"What did you see?"

"You just ran in here and left Quinn alone. What did you do to her?"

"Nothing."

"So why is she so upset?"

"I don't know why. All I know is that there's something wrong with me."

The poor boy buried his face in his hands. No matter where he went or what he did with his own face, the excretion still leaked from under his hair to his forehead.

"What do you mean? What's wrong with you?"

Good God, not now. Joe took another breath. "Something's wrong with me when I'm with Quinn. I get really edgy, I sweat a lot—"

"You don't have to be nervous with her."

"I don't get why I am now. She's so nice and everything. I don't get it."

Sam slapped his hand on the back of Joe's shoulder. "Dude, you just need to relax. Get something to drink, calm down for a second, and then you'll be able to go back to her."

Joe held in his breath. Maybe he and Sam should've left after all. The boys' bathroom reeked of vomit, wine, and whatever else these guys did.

The boys exited and went back in the main dining area. They grabbed another cup of punch. Sam looked at Joe and cocked an eyebrow, impressed.

"So you _do_ like this girl?"

"Yeah. I just never would've thought it would turn out like this."

"Like what? You running away from her like a little kid?"

Joe punched Sam in the arm slightly. "Shut it, Evans."

Sam placed his cup back on the table and started to briefly imitate an 8-year-old girl. "Oh, I'm so scared! I'm so—" Then he transitioned back to his normal self and immediately said, "Give me a break!"

Joe laughed.

Sam took another sip. "No seriously, she's a man-pleaser. I should know anyways."

"You dated her before?"

"A while back. Then we hit a bumpy road and broke up. It's okay, though, 'cause she has you now, right?"

Joe never thought of Quinn as a girlfriend, especially not now. "Well…I wouldn't say she's my _girlfriend_ now. She's still fun to be around."

Sam nodded and finished his drink. "You know, sooner or later it's going to happen."

"How do you know?"

"Well, if you want her, you've got to step up. Speak your mind. It can be anytime you want, but it still has to happen."

Joe looked down at his feet again. He did like Quinn. A lot. He wouldn't have asked her to be his date for Valentine's Day if he didn't. She was really lonely the other day, too. He'd rather see her smile than her pouty frown with eyes watering.

Joe drank the rest of the punch just when Sam asked, "You ready now?"

"Yeah."

The boys threw their cups away and stepped past the many couples who were still dancing to the soft music. Quinn and Mercedes were seated at Quinn's table, having a confrontation.

Mercedes immediately sprinted from her seat and held Joe by his shoulders. "Joe, are you okay? Did you have trouble with—"

"Yeah…I think I'm fine."

Sam turned towards him. "Are you sure now."

"I'm fine."

Quinn was relieved. She stood up and grabbed him again while the music still continued. This time, Sam and Mercedes danced beside them so they won't be far from trouble.

Joe's hands were at the blonde's waist again. He wasn't tingling this time by her touch. He welcomed it. He welcomed anything Quinn had to offer.

Quinn looked at his face. He was adorable. She liked everything about him. His smile. His hair. His precious words to her. His offer to help Quinn with her and Santana's friendship. Despite him freaking out a few minutes earlier, she was having the best time with him.

* * *

The song ended. It was only 9:45. The party felt like it was short. Either way, Sugar had to shut it down before 10:00 so the clean-up guys had enough time to clear the place before they were done for the day.

"Hey there, party guests! How did you enjoy your night?" Everyone applauded as the girl grinned at everyone. "The party is coming to a close. Have a wonderful Valentine's Day, and good night!"

Even though people were leaving, the music still played in the background. Everyone started to disperse from the restaurant. Quinn waited by the window and grabbed her car keys from her purse.

Joe came from the other side of the room to speak with her.

"Um…hey Quinn."

The blonde whirled around to him. "Hey Joe. You have fun? How are you feeling?"

Joe nodded. "Good…I guess."

"Is something wrong? Is your mother coming to get you?"

"Y-Yeah. Quinn, um—I…I…"

He stuttered again. He felt the need to slap himself in the face.

"Yes?"

Joe looked her in the eye again. She was smiling back. That bright smile. It was brilliantly sweet. He couldn't turn away. He was definitely _not_ in control right now.

He glared up and down, and then back at her pretty face. "You're beautiful."

What? Was he actually saying that?

Quinn smiled even brighter. She felt more positive than ever before. _Oh Joe, you're so sweet_, she wanted to say.

Joe then glanced down at the blonde's lips. Crap. They were attracting him, too. They were full with pink gloss. He felt that this was wrong, but attempted anyway.

His face closed in towards Quinn's porcelain face. She stood still, keeping her eyes on Joe's. They were beautiful, too.

And then…a pause.

There was a funny feeling down in between Joe's legs.

Wait…what the hell? That's not right.

Joe was stiffening up…down _there_. This was completely new. Aside from the wandering past the girl and the constant sweating, this was the most awkward thing that was going on with him.

He gritted his teeth inside his mouth. His eyes were dead shut. He felt very uncomfortable.

Joe couldn't carry on with the feelings he was having. He just gave up and backed away from Quinn again. He wandered again. He prayed that Quinn won't be mad at him for what was going on at this moment.

Quinn looked worried again. "Joe…"

He looked back at her. He felt like crying, but sucked it all in. "I'm…I'm so sorry, Quinn."

Quinn nodded and the dreadlocked boy ran to the other side of the room, hopefully with no one looking down at him as he rattled in his pants.

_Buzzzzzz! Buzzzzzzzz!_

The cell phone in her purse was going off. Her mother was on the other line waiting for her. Quinn answered the call.

"Quinn, it's time to get home."

"Mom, I just need to—"

"You said you'd be home before ten. It's already 9:52. Get a move-on already."

Quinn was highly against curfews. She started getting curfews ever since the house party she had with Rachel and the rest of the Glee gang. She had gotten so drunk that evening that it was ridiculous.

"Can't you just—"

"Right now, Quinnie!"

Judy hung up on the other line. Quinn turned the phone off, and her eyes searched the room for Joe. He wasn't there anymore. She assumed that he was in the bathroom or something. Or maybe he was hiding. Either way, Quinn couldn't find him in time.

The blonde turned to the front entrance and just walked out to her red car. She kept thinking about Joe on her way home. She loved everything she did for him. She wondered if Santana would blow her over the next day at school. Hopefully, Joe's words and the God Squad's performance helped a lot.

However, Joe wasn't anything she expected tonight. Every moment he had with her, he would freak out and walk away from her. Even when he was told to calm down, he shivered and sweated.

Quinn felt bad for him. She hopes that he at least gets a cool drink and some rest after what he witnessed tonight. He deserved it.

Before Quinn drove off, Sam and Mercedes were seen getting into a blue car next to hers. Mercedes stopped in front of Quinn's window and bent down at eye level with her.

"Hey, Quinn, um…have you seen Joe? I can't find him."

"I don't know, but I have to leave now. My mom's kinda expecting me."

Mercedes turned to the door. Joe stepped out into the cool breeze that was blowing. He leaned against the building, staring into the sky. He sighed and buried his face in his right hand.

"Quinn…what happened with him?"

Quinn was silent. Her eyes directed into Joe's direction. Poor boy was shaking and rubbing his face clean of the sweat and shame.

"I…I don't know."


	10. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

"You're off the hook this time. Next time, it's your loss."

The clock on the living room wall ticked. Ten fifteen. It wasn't that bad to Quinn. "It's only fifteen minutes past. Plus, someone's car was holding me up at the light."

Judy took a sip of some fresh, cold water that sat in her glass. "A lot can happen in fifteen minutes, Quinn."

Quinn scoffed. "What? I could get in a car crash? Mom, I know how to watch over the road. You can stop babying me now."

The blonde teen walked upstairs and dropped her purse on the desk. She checked herself out in the mirror hanging on her wall. Her hair was still straight despite the wind blowing in her car from the elevated car window.

She slipped her shoes off, relieved that she could feel her feet against the bit of breeze and to get the extra tension off. With her mother just on her about curfews, which sounded like nonsense especially to an 18-year-old, she had to take a break from everything.

Quinn came to the conclusion that the Valentine's Day party was a smashing success. She was unable to find Santana after the song, but she at least knew that she and her girlfriend had a blast. The blonde could only think that the two horny teens could be in Santana's bedroom, making out and getting ready to give up themselves once again.

The blonde slipped out of her party dress and took the clip off her head. She put on a jersey pajama shirt with some blue shorts that rode up to her thighs. God, that was the breeze she was waiting for.

She stared into space with almost nothing to do. Her IPhone with the purple casing was on her lamp stand. Listening to music seemed to be the only thing she could do right now.

She put the earphones in her ears and started playing "Stereo Hearts" by Gym Class Heroes and stretched across her bed. It reminded her of two things: that she won't be alone on those days when she's lonely and down, and _him_…Joseph.

The one thing she can't put her finger on is why he was so nervous, especially when dancing with her. It's like every time she glanced at him, he would either be sweating or fidgeting.

Plus, he'll move away from her and step to the side a lot. What was wrong?

Quinn found herself to be the attention grabber when it came to boys getting anxious or excited around her. Like the black-haired Cheerio said, Quinn was like a supermodel. It made sense to her, a little. Not entirely, but somewhat..

The blonde's phone erupted with the featured ringtone of the week, Taylor Swift's "You Belong With Me". Rachel was on the other line.

"Hello?"

"Hey Quinn. My two dads have me in my room now, so I was wondering what you were up to—"

"Are you, like, _stalking_ me?" Quinn hid her laugh.

"Quinn…how could you say that? I would never—"

"I'm just messing with you."

The brunette on the other line chuckled, curing the cord of the home phone in her bedroom. "I guess you got me on that one."

Quinn laughed and then calmed down with a sigh.

"So, how did you enjoy the dance? I thought it was magical. Finn won some prizes from the game area, but then he wanted to…well, go there with me in the back somewhere. I declined it, though."

Quinn gasped. "Is Finn really that dirty?"

"I guess I have more exploring to do, right?" Her best friend giggled and rested her head on the pillow that sat on her bed.

Rachel drank a cup of pink lemonade her father Leroy provided for her. "Say, Quinn…"

"Yeah…"

"Tell me about Joseph. He seems like a pretty handsome, sweet, caring person. I could tell by the way you were dancing with him. I didn't say anything earlier because—"

Quinn cleared her throat. "I'd…rather not say much."

"Why not?"

"I just…" Quinn wandered around. The poor boy stuck into her head. All she could see that reminded her of him was the nervous wolf eyes on his face, the sweat pouring off his forehead, the stuttering that he couldn't seem to control, and the number of times he headed out to clear himself. "I'm just worried about him, that's all."

"About what?" Rachel ran her hair with the pink comb sitting on her desk. Quinn rolled over on her stomach. "It's kind of…personal."

Rachel smirked. "Oh, so you ask me about me and Finn, and I give you every detail. But when I ask about you and Joe, you're blank!"

"You do the same!"

"Name one time."

"Last week. You never finished that statement you made on what was going with you and Finn last week. It's going on Wednesday, Berry."

Rachel protested back. "Mercedes called you during our talk."

"And you should blame _Mercedes_ for it?"

The brunette folded her arms as she adopted to the blonde's laugh. Oh, that girl. She was a hot mess. "Quinn, seriously. Tell me."

Quinn regained her breathing from the laughter and continued on, randomly playing with the stuffed rabbit on her bed. "I don't know, really. He was kind of sensitive throughout this whole night. He won't stop squirming and sweating."

Rachel imagined when she was in 6th grade, and a boy named Darwin Marcus was onstage for a school musical. For every lyric he got to, either his legs would shake simultaneously or he'll hide his big tomato face from the constant sweating. All of that reminded the brunette of Joe.

Quinn looked down at her stuffed rabbit. When she was only nine years old, Russell had taken her to Build-A-Bear Workshop and made her. The blonde named it Sally McLover. At the time, it sounded like a ridiculous surname, but young Quinn didn't care.

On the little shirt that came with the stuffed bunny was a pair of red lips and hearts surrounding it. She saw that as a symbol of what she witnessed tonight.

Joe's only a sophomore, after all. He's not that daring or comfortable as people like Mike Chang and Noah Puckerman. Furthermore, being that he's an avid Christian, he wouldn't do much when it came to love and stuff like that. The white toy on Quinn's bed was symbolic of him. Sally was a symbol of having a soft side. The blonde thought the two can relate.

"Then when it was time to go, he approached me…" Rachel's eyes were alert. "He told me that I was beautiful. He looked at me with those…those…"

Rachel nodded. "You can say it, Quinn. Don't be ashamed." She paused. "Those _lustrous_ eyes, right?"

Quinn smirked again and heard Rachel cackling.

"_Anyways_…" Rachel stopped laughing and paid attention again, sipping the last few drops of her lemonade. "He told me that I was beautiful, looked at me, and…well, he wanted to kiss me."

Rachel gushed. The sound of awes blew through Quinn's cell phone.

"But he couldn't."

There was silence at Quinn's last statement. "Quinn, why not? He clearly crushes on you bad."

"I see that, obviously." The blonde played around with Sally. "But that's the part I'm trying to get across. I mean, I know we're not going to be boyfriend and girlfriend or anything."

Rachel brushed her hair. "But you want it to be, right?"

Quinn shook her head. "It doesn't matter what I want."

No one said anything after that. Rachel felt bad for her. She went from being alone to having a good time to being alone again. That wasn't the Quinn Fabray she knew at the beginning of the year.

The blonde aimlessly looked around in her room, having thoughts on what she wants as opposed her love life. Sometimes, the road to love has multiple detours for her. They just weren't right.

Rachel pouted. "Well, I think it should matter, Quinn. You have a lot of needs, especially for your future, such as getting a degree from Yale and…well…"

"I appreciate you trying to help me on this, Rach, but…what really matters to me are the needs like you said. Frankly, I don't want or _need_ a relationship with anyone right now. I _need_ to graduate. I _need_ to go to Yale. I _need_ to make something of myself. I _need_ to make things right with myself after the years of torture."

Those words of strength hit Rachel like rocks. No one else's could be more vivid than hers.

"Are…are you sure that's—"

"Yes, yes it is."

* * *

"Joe, we need to talk."

"About what?"

Sam placed his tray beside his on the empty table where Joe was sitting. He didn't seem lively today.

"I just want to know what all happened."

Joe moaned. "Do we have to talk about—"

"Yes, we do. You had a shot with Quinn. I believed in you, man."

"Who said that I wanted something with her?"

Sam folded his arms and stared at the boy. _Don't lie to me. Just—come on, don't lie_. The same thought repeated the more time it took for the dreadlocked boy to look at him with a straight face.

Joe stared back, but all he could think of right now is how upset Quinn probably is right now. Quinn. Quinn Fabray. Her name called to him and never stopped.

He finally gave up. "Okay…say if I…kinda do want something with her."

Sam nodded and ate a piece of broccoli that sat on his tray. "Yeah, go on."

Joe looked down at the spaghetti on his plate. Combine that with the strange feeling he had at the end of the party, and he felt nauseous.

"In fact, I actually do. I almost kissed her at the Valentine's Day party the other day."

Sam applauded. "Nice."

Joe nodded. "Well, yeah, except…well…I started having…" _God, should I tell him this?_ It sounded really awkward and private to discuss with Sam. He couldn't even look down in his seat at his lap where his privates in his pants contained. He looked disgusted.

_Oh God, how do I say this? How do I…?_

"_Feelings_."

Sam was perplexed. He couldn't understand what Teen Jesus was telling him. However, he did have a small hint. He popped a chicken nugget in his mouth. "I see."

Joe looked back at him. "Is that all?" He still felt awkward.

Sam shook his head while drinking his diet Coke. "You've got it bad. You want her. You should get with her."

"I don't know how, though."

Sam shot his head up to Joe's face. "Who doesn't know how to ask a girl to be their girlfriend?"

Joe's fingers reached the cross on the necklace hanging from his neck. His mother and father gave it to him when he was only 8 years old. He would promise them that he would stay pure and wait for sex until he was married to someone he truly loved.

The sex part of that statement was the only thing he thought of the previous night with Quinn. He wasn't ready.

He was closely connected with his mother, and believed that she showed a lot of sympathy and consideration for her son. His father, however, was very strict with him. So if Joe made the decision to be Quinn's girlfriend and go over the limit, he would get what's coming to him.

"It's not that I don't know," he told Sam, who was waiting for a response from him. "It's that…well…the temptation. I can't seem to control myself when I'm around Quinn. But I have to. My mom and dad would kill me if I had relations with a girl before marriage. It's a belief I strongly go by."

Sam nodded. Being in the God Squad with him and the girls, he had it coming that Joe was going to mention his beliefs.

But then, he remembered the couple rounds of stripping he did before transferring back into McKinley. He danced, got paid a lot of money, and even got laid. It seemed like the best guilty pleasure of his time since he started.

"Temptation's not a problem for me."

"Really? How'd you get over it?"

"I didn't really try anything. I mean, I had sex last year at a stripper joint. Wasn't that hard."

What? Joe couldn't believe what he was hearing. Plus, the fact that he thought that Sam had something with Mercedes made Joe to believe that he was even guiltier.

"Sam, that's a sin!" he exclaimed. "We're supposed to wait until we're married."

Sam scoffed and pointed to the tattoo showing in his chest from underneath the sophomore's shirt. "Uh, yeah, and we're not supposed to get tattoos, either."

Joe looked down at his chest where the Bible verse had been printed on. It had been a while since Joe has read the book of Leviticus. He had gotten the tattoo about a year and a half ago.

He gritted his teeth and moaned, recognizing that he had sinned.

Sam drank a little more of his diet Coke. "You see, when you're Christian, there are things we have to…well, hold back on. The tattoos, the partying, the intercourse. Some of those Christians like me won't be able to resist. One day, you won't, either."

Joe's eyes shot back up at him. "How do you know?"

"How can any guy resist a pretty girl like Quinn? She's like the cherry popsicle that every kid on the block craves for in the summer. You can't keep away from her."

"Wouldn't God be mad if we went against him at such a young age? I mean, my dad kinda taught me that the spiritual should dominate over the physical. Then you'd…well, feel closer to God. You know?"

Sam clearly understood where Joe was going with this. He looked so innocent. He never had sex before. Sam also understood how his mother and father would react to Joe doing such a thing.

However, they were both in high school. In high school, there were students who couldn't contain their hormones. The girls went crazy for the boys. The boys went crazy for the girls. They wanted it. They wanted it bad. They wanted it now.

For Joe to exist around horny, hungry teenagers, it was difficult to fight his urge for sex. Even with a girl who has had sex about two years before meeting him.

Sam shrugged as he finished off his nuggets and broccoli on his plate. "It's your choice, though, Joe. You decide. If you want to be closer to God, you keep staying pure and do the right thing. If you want to be closer to Quinn, you've got some changes to make."

Sam got up and brought his tray to the trash.

Joe looked down at his full tray of spaghetti, salad, and lemon cake. He was clueless on what to do, although he took Sam's words into cautious speculation.

As he sat alone and finished his food, he glanced over to another table. Mercedes was headed towards a table where known Glee club members Mike Chang, Tina Cohen-Chang, and Noah Puckerman were sitting. And guess who was with her? Quinn Fabray.

The dreadlocked boy's heart raced. She looked beautiful as always. Her hair still stood golden on her head. The blue dress she wore today looked cute on her, and the flats matched.

Quinn was the only thing Joe could think about ever since the Valentine's Day party. She was wonderful. Why can't he contain himself?

And then, it happened again.

Joe started feeling another erection coming on. His legs shivered in his seat, and his hands gripped the edge of the table. He quickly turned away from Quinn, hoping it would go away if he didn't any attention to her.

Unfortunately, it didn't work at all, and he continued to fire away down there.

He folded his hands, trying to calm himself down, and directed his eyes to the ceiling. The only thing he could do was ask God for answers.

_God, I pray to you at this very moment, right now._

_I would never go against you. I mean, you've done a lot for everyone. You've done a lot for me. I wouldn't be living if you hadn't done all you did. I wouldn't be growing up alive and healthy if it wasn't for you. I wouldn't even be at this school if you haven't given my mother and father the courage to let me move on._

_I'm suffering through a crisis. It's about Quinn. She's not the crisis; it's actually my temptation when I'm around her. I can't control myself. I understand that as a Christian teenager right now that I'm not supposed to have sex or anything until I'm a little older and married to someone I truly love._

_But…well, something about her makes me crazy. She captures something in me that makes me go nuts. Is it her eyes? Is it her smile? Is it her voice? I'm not really sure. I need answers._

_This makes me wonder if I made the right decision to get out of being homeschooled. I like the people, the classes, the teachers—everything. However, my feelings are trying to take over me somehow. One day, I'll go crazy and end up doing something stupid. Something that you don't approve of. A sin. The tattoos thing, I've already sinned on that, which seemed pretty simple. I apologize for that time, especially._

_This is extreme. This is about sexual relationships with a girl. Wait—not just any girl. Quinn Fabray. A senior, for God's sake. She seems more experienced with sex than I am._

_If I end up carrying on with this, I'll end up losing my virginity. I'll lose my innocence. My comfort. My sympathy from my father. Jesus, I wouldn't want to look him in the eye and let him yell at me, spitting several rounds of saliva in my face._

_I pray to you right now. Help me calm down. Just help me control myself. I can't let my mom and dad down._

_I need you. I just need you right now._

_Can you please help me? It's all I ever pray for at this moment. Thank you. Thank you so much, God. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen._


	11. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

"Joe, hey. Can I talk with you."

The dreadlocked boy turned around, and the peppy Quinn Fabray showed up right in front of her. He closed his locker door, stood up, and looked her in the face.

"It's about the Valentine's Day party. I wanted to know if you were alright."

He was silent. He couldn't believe that she was okay talking with him after what all he did to her. Even after Sam telling him, he felt guilty.

The blonde's eyes reached for his. "Joseph…"

He still couldn't respond. He felt another eruption coming on.

Quinn stepped a little closer, but he backed away. "Joe, I want to help. What's wrong?"

Unfortunately, he wouldn't let her. "I…Quinn, I'm—I'm sorry. I have to get to class." With that, Joe grabbed his things and ran to seventh period, leaving the blonde curious. Her heart skipped a beat, and her throat held a lump. She felt that she screwed something up.

_Why is Joe ignoring me? I just wanted to return the favor he gave me and help him. This time, _he's _not letting me._

The bell was about to ring in forty seconds. Quinn shook her head watching Joe run away, and went to her seventh-period class.

She went into her American Literature classroom, and took a seat next to Mercedes. She was disappointed with herself.

"Quinn…what happened?"

Quinn shook her head, grabbing her notes and her American Lit notebook. She was too ashamed to look back at how worried Mercedes was of her.

Mercedes placed her hand on Quinn's shoulder. "Quinn, I'm here to help you. Come talk with me."

Quinn shook her head once again. "I wanted to help, too, but I was turned down on. That's all."

Mercedes shifted her desk closer to hers. "Help who? Maybe I can help."

The blonde looked down at her hands. They were trembling a little. Joe leaving from her kept repeating like a broken record. She was nervous to talk to Mercedes about him. "Joe. I wanted to know what was going through his mind at the V-Day party, but he walked away from me without answering my question."

Joe? Joe did that? Mercedes couldn't believe it. "Why would he…"

"I don't know. Did I do something wrong? Was I being too interrogative or something?"

Mercedes rubbed the girl's back. "No, you weren't. Like you said, you just wanted to help."

"But like I said as well, I was turned down. Before Joe wanted to help me, and I let him. I don't understand what's wrong with him. It's like he doesn't like me or doesn't want to be around me."

Mercedes took a second to think about it. "Maybe it was something else."

Quinn looked bewildered. "Like what?"

The black-haired girl's eyebrow cocked up and down. "It's not because he doesn't like you. It's because he _really_ likes you."

At this point, Mercedes wasn't making much sense to her. What did she mean by that? It lingered through Quinn's brain for the remainder of the class session. _It's not because he doesn't like you; it's because he really likes you_. It repeated on and on. It still didn't make any sense to her.

After about fifty minutes of class time, Joe wouldn't even talk to her afterwards. He would walk past her, not looking her in the eye. He would rush to the bathroom when he was close enough so Quinn wouldn't see him have a panic attack.

* * *

This has been going on for about a couple of weeks now. The poor girl couldn't get a word out to him. He just wouldn't stick around and listen. Mercedes and Sam both noticed this and watched as the sad girl walked away every chance she had to speak with the dreadlocked kid.

One day in the middle of March before the school day ended, Quinn hasn't said anything to him before that day. She thought she would have a shot with him.

He was at his locker, grabbing his books and getting ready to go home. The blonde approached him and leaned against the lockers.

"Joe…"

He immediately looked up at her. He got a little nervous again.

"Can I please…please talk with you?"

Joe bit his lip and his eyes wandered around. He then turned back to Quinn and got up with his things. "I…Quinn, I can't," he said before finding the front entrance.

Quinn was feeling let down. Joe wasn't letting her talk to him, stand next to him, or even look at him. The blonde felt like crying. Did she lose another friend already?

"Hey Fabray. Can we talk?"

A perky Cheerio with a smooth-curl ponytail stepped next to Quinn, stopping on her heels. She had a serious facial expression.

Still thinking about Joe, Quinn turned the other way towards her. "Oh…hi, Santana." Her voice choked along with her trembling lips.

Santana noticed her upside down smile. "What's wrong? Someone crap in your coffee?"

As much as Quinn enjoyed Santana's bitchy humor, she wasn't so much in the mood to chuckle or anything. The blonde shook her head slightly before it fell down to face the flats on her feet.

Santana shrugged and wrapped her arm around Quinn's back. "Well, I wanted to say that I'm sorry."

"Sorry?"

The poor blonde was so worried about her friendship with Joe that she couldn't remember what she and Santana had together.

"I'm talking about on Valentine's Day. You know, when we bickered back and forth and stuff. You know, that Snix just wants to come out and torture people, you know?"

Quinn couldn't imagine how Santana was letting her alter ego, Snix exist upon everyone. She found it hilarious, though. That was so Santana.

The Cheerio smoothed the flaps on her Cheerios skirt and tugged Quinn, encouraging her to take a few steps with her. "Look, I want to make it up to you. I hate when I'm a bitch to the people I love. That's why I wanted to ask you if you could come out to a little girls' outing with me and Brittany to the mall afterschool. I'll pay for snacks, if you like."

Quinn needed a moment to think this over. At the moment, she was feeling very emotional. Her newest friend she met last month wasn't speaking with her, and she was close to crying her eyes out. She wasn't even sure if he ever wanted to talk to her again.

Santana grabbed her hand and shook it rapidly. "Come on. Look here." She took a black wallet with a smooth fabric on it out of her backpack. Inside was a twenty dollar bill, a five, and about six singles. "Here's close to thirty bucks in this thing. I'll pay however much you want. No fooling."

Quinn stared at the money in her wallet. The presidents printed on them nearly shouted to her. _Come with her, Quinn Fabray! Spend us! Have a good time with us!_ Quinn couldn't turn that down.

Then she turned behind her. Joe had just come out of a classroom for a worksheet he needed for a class. He spotted Quinn looking back at him. He still had that nervous facial expression. The dreadlocked boy ran past to another hallway.

Oh, Joe. Why do you keep escaping her? All she wanted right now was a soft, sweet hug.

On the other hand, Santana's offer seemed to calm her down right now. She turned back to her and signaled with a nod.

Santana smiled back. "Super. Come on, let's go."

The Cheerio pulled Quinn's arm, and she ended up running after Santana to find Brittany.

Joe took a peek around the corner. Quinn and Santana had already left to go. He felt extremely guilty. He had no idea what he was doing anymore. He couldn't tell right now if the blonde was crying or not even caring about what he was thinking or doing.

He leaned against the wall, glaring up at the ceiling. He felt like crying himself as he thought about the precious Quinn Fabray.

_Oh God, what did I do now? I'm really trying to solve this problem with my urges. I really am. But I ended up hurting Quinn emotionally. Is there anything else I can do? Can you please stick with me and help me out on this?_

He spent the next five seconds praying for hope and mercy.

"Joseph. Hey."

"Dude, seriously, we need to talk right now."

Sam and Mercedes strolled down the hall after witnessing Quinn leaving with Santana. They had a clue on what was going on with the blonde, but needed proof from Joe.

Mercedes placed her hand on Joe's shoulder. "Joe, what's wrong with her? Did something between you and her happen?"

The dreadlocked boy shook his head. "No."

Sam couldn't believe what he was seeing and hearing. "You keep doing this, man. Is there anything we can do to help you?"

Mercedes looked up at him, tapping Sam's arm. "Sam, don't," she warned.

"I'm not doing anything bad here, Mercedes. I'm just trying to help Joe. I mean, look at him."

Joe innocently looked down at his bare feet. All of this avoiding Quinn was coming to some serious terms. "I…I'm just praying that I won't…well, lose myself."

Mercedes glared at him. "Lose yourself how?"

"My…my faith."

"You're worried about losing your faith. Joe, it'll never be lost. It will stick with you forever."

"I'm not lying here. Something's been going on for over a month here, and…it's disturbing." Mercedes closely listened. Behind her, Sam folded his arms and smirked, wondering if he was going to tell her the same thing he told him. "Every time I'm with Quinn, I start to…to…erupt."

Mercedes shook her head in confusion. "I…I'm not—Joe, I'm not following you." Ugh, it was going to get even weirder than this. Unfortunately, he had to confess himself anyway. Joe's head jerked down. "Down…there."

Oh.

Mercedes giggled a little. Wow…this was embarrassing. Joe watched as the awkwardness whirred around like ceiling fans.

"Joe…you're having _erections_?"

Joe waved his hands in front her, trying to keep her quiet before anyone heard them speak. "I beg of you, please don't."

Sam sighed. _Wow, this was silly_, he wanted to say.

Mercedes stopped laughing, but she couldn't stop smiling. "Joe, why do you have to be worried about this? This is a good sign. It shows that it's time for you to confess yourself to Quinn. She's alone at the moment—"

"_Exactly_, Mercedes. Thank you for proving me right again." Sam spoke up, glancing towards Joe.

"I have to stand by what God and my parents tell me what to do. I can't just go off, tell Quinn how I feel, and then extend that. I would've sinned."

Sam scoffed, looking at his chest. However, it was covered with his cardigan. "I don't know, man. You pretty much did already," he said, pointing to the hidden Bible-quote tattoo.

Mercedes slapped him with the back of her hand. "Sam!"

"What?"

Joe sheepishly looked down again.

Mercedes put her hand back on Joe's shoulder. "Joe…you have nothing to worry about. All that matters is that you like Quinn and that your feelings show."

Sam slapped his hand on Joe's back. "Yeah, dude. You're going to be fine. Just go after her."

Joe bit his lip again. "I'm not sure if I can, though. You saw Quinn, didn't you? She was sad. I disappointed her. I'm the worst friend she's ever had. On top of that, she'll be graduating soon. She won't ever see me again, probably. I would've let her down."

Sam and Mercedes realized what all he said, and realized he was right. They felt bad for Quinn especially. Every moment Joe walked away from her, she would feel twice as alone as she'll feel once she moves on to New Haven.

It was going to get twice as emotional as all those times Joe avoided her.

"You're not the worst friend she's ever had," Mercedes spoke up. "It's clear that she likes you as a person. Just take a moment to speak with her. You'll be fine."

Joe looked Mercedes in the eye. "You really think so?"

"I'm positive."

Sam put his hand back on Joe's back. He gave Joe an assuring smile. "Best of luck, man." Joe smiled back. He felt ready thanks to the two of them.

* * *

"Santana, I don't think the cotton candy milkshake is working. She still looks sour."

The Unholy Trinity were in the food court. They had gotten some treats from Cassie's Classics department. Quinn had ordered a cotton candy milkshake. Santana and Brittany figured it would cheer her up since she was feeling down today. Unfortunately, it did nothing for her.

"Quinn, you've been like this for hours. Come on, girl. Say something."

Quinn appreciated Santana's kind words. However, they weren't helping one bit.

Brittany folded her hands together. "Look, if it'll help you, I can do my impression of Elmo from Sesame Street. He cheers up little kids and their families; it'll do the same for you, too."

"I would love a kid-show impersonation, Brittany, but I'm not in the mood."

Brittany pouted. "Aw, it always worked with Santana."

When it came to any secret that the girls promised to keep under the sheets, Brittany would never shut up about them.

Santana smirked and hit her in the arm. "_Brittany, what did I say about—_"

"I'm sorry, Santana, but I'm telling the truth."

Quinn enjoyed the girls' company. Not only because they had flirtatious comments right in front of her, but they made her think about positive things aside from the negatives.

Unfortunately, it wasn't working right now. Joe Hart was the only thing the girl could think about. She wondered if he was thinking of her at the moment. The poor blonde missed him. She wanted to see him. She wanted to talk to him. She wanted to…just everything.

The lesbian Cheerios turned back to the blonde. "Quinn, just tell us what's going on. We'll be free to give any advice on anything."

"Yeah, tell us, Quinn."

Quinn's small fingers tapped against each other. She hadn't had the slightest clue on how she was going to tell Santana and Brittany what was going on or how she was feeling. She had no other solution but to just let it out.

"It's…about Joe. I miss him."

Santana looked perplexed. "What do you mean? Did he transfer himself back home or something?"

"No. It's just that…well, it's been a month since he's talked to me. He's been trying his best to get away from me. I don't know what's wrong with him. He won't tell me."

Santana rolled her eyes. "Ugh, I hate it when some people are like that."

Quinn gripped at her milkshake glass. "Santana, don't—"

"I'm just sayin'. Joe shouldn't be hurting your feelings like that. In fact, why leisurely beg for him to have a conversation with you?" Quinn didn't know where this was going, but she hinted that it was bad. "You need to stand up for yourself. Don't plead him. I mean, how do you think you got Finn to go to prom with you last year?"

"She wanted sex from him, remember?"

Santana groaned at how loud Brittany's question was. She imagined the old lady two tables away from them eavesdropping.

Quinn gasped. "Brittany, I didn't."

Wow, did that bring a smile to the blonde's face or what? "But, Santana, that does seem like a good idea."

Santana nodded, eating the rest of her banana split. "That's right, girl. Stand up for yourself. Joe won't have anywhere to run. If you need any help, Auntie Tana is here to assist you."

Quinn smiled again. "Thanks, Santana."

The girls decided to change the topic. "Hey Santana, have you heard about Puck? He got in trouble again."

Santana turned to her girlfriend. "About what?"

Brittany sipped onto her fruit smoothie. "I don't know. I heard about it from the Asian guy."

Quinn tried to continue listening to the Cheerios gossip about random students in McKinley. However, only one of them stuck to her and never went away. She was pretty nervous about taking Santana's advice. What if Joe would get mad at her or something? What if she scared him away?

On the contrary, Santana did say that she had her back. What could possibly go wrong?


	12. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

"Santana, I need help with this. The math test is in three days."

Brittany held onto Santana's arm like a little toddler, begging for her help. She was worried about failing again, especially after the last time.

"Brittany, you never paid attention the last time, remember?"

"It wasn't my fault. The people from 'Two and a Half Men' were annoying me."

Oh, that Brittany.

The blonde Cheerio handed Santana a math packet their teacher had given them before class ended. Santana looked through the 98-problem packet and handed it back. "Just give me a moment to find some books for Bio. I'll meet you in a second."

Brittany perked up and gently put a peck on her girlfriend's cheek. "Thank you so much."

Santana smirked. "Britt, do you realize where we are? People are watching."

"They watched us kiss on Valentine's Day. So how is this any different?"

The sassy Cheerio rolled her eyes at the thought of Principal Figgins' deep, Indian-like voice. "I don't know. I guess you can say it's something called Public Displays of Affection," she groaned, "_or whatever shit he's trying to blow over_."

They hadn't noticed at first, but the librarian was standing on the other side of the bookcase where they were standing. They tip-toed away to find a table to place their books.

Brittany took out her folders, which she decorated with unicorns and rainbows. Santana stood up with a white piece of paper in her hand. "Let me just find this and I'll be back."

"Sure."

Santana strolled to the other side of the library, setting her mind on Brittany. She was everything to her. She meant it ever since last year. It wasn't until later that Finn Hudson, whom Santana called Pyramid Boobs, kicked her out of the flannel closet.

Somehow, she saw this as a good feeling. She could be able to love Brittany and cherish every moment of her. Hopefully, they'll graduate together and move somewhere out of the city of Lima, Ohio.

The Cheerio had found the Science section of the library, and then—

There he was.

The dreadlocked boy was alone at a table, reading something for an English class. Santana had a slight frown on her face.

_Half the time, he seems like bad news, and half the time he's just this innocent thing that Quinn happens to fall to her knees for_, she admitted in her mind. From the looks of what happened the previous day at the mall with Quinn, he probably did something to make her feel heartbroken.

Santana shook her head at the sight of him. _I'm not letting him hurt my girl, and I'm definitely not letting Quinn be kitten-head soft on this guy, either._

"Hey you, Dreads."

Joe turned around in his seat, startled by Santana calling to him. "Oh…hey, Santana." What did she come over here for? Joe felt as if she was going to do or say something.

The girl scoffed once she saw him flinch. "No one's gonna hit your or anything, Jesus boy."

Whoa. That was…pretty offensive.

Santana took a seat in a chair that was placed next to Joe's. "Listen, it's obvious that you know Quinn Fabray, right?"

Joe nodded in confusion. "Yeah…"

"Well, I'm going to give you the heads up. I know you get her. I mean, she's blonde, beautiful, sweet, and lively like my favorite girlfriend in the whole world. You get that part, right?" Just before Joe could get a word out, the Cheerio put her finger on his lips. "No comments until I'm done, hear me?"

Joe was seconds close to wanting to say something to her. Anyone weaker than or doesn't know Santana will be taught that she'll always gets what she wants. If that meant giving a 5-minute, non-stop lecture to a sophomore student, then so be it.

"Last night, Britt and I had a chat with her. She seemed let down. Wanna tell me why?"

This was the kind of thing Joe was worried about. He didn't want to upset Quinn, but he was clueless on what else to do.

He tried speaking up, but Santana stopped him again. "Uh, uh. Hold your questions and statements until the end." Joe nodded.

"She was let down because you were trying to get away from her. I mean, what's the point of doing that? Quinn is like herpes; you can't get rid of them. Of course, you wouldn't understand the herpes concept since you've kept your fly closed and your nose in the book that is the holy Bible for so long."

Joe rolled his eyes halfway. Just what he needed was another person to tell him about his urges and his religion. Real nice.

"Here's what's gonna go down," Santana continued. "Quinn's going to come to you and speak with you. You'll obey every command, listen to every statement, and respond to any question. If not, I would like to later introduce you to my friends, Priscilla and Tammy." The Cheerio stood up slightly and whispered into the dreadlocked boy's ear. "_They are my fists_."

Joe gulped. He hadn't been hit before. Santana punching his jaw until it broke into pieces sent shivers down his spine.

The girl stood up straight and headed towards the section she was looking up a book for. Before she got there, she spotted Quinn come in the room. Perfect.

Santana tapped Joe's shoulder and directed him towards Quinn at the librarian's desk. "There you go. Try me if you dare."

The bossy Cheerio's warning made Joe nervous again. What if he wasn't ready to talk to Quinn? What if something goes wrong?

One thing's for sure: he definitely did _not_ want to come in contact with Santana's feisty fists.

The blonde turned in Joe's direction. Somehow, she looked as nervous as he. She thought about being walked out on again. She thought about how Joe might feel about her. She thought about…man, what else was there to think about?

Either way, she had to make a comeback. She took Santana's words from the other day into consideration.

Joe's heart raced. She was a few more steps to coming over, and he was three seconds closer to erupting again.

The clock ticked on the wall. It was some sort of bomb.

The blonde walked even closer. Her pink dress swayed with every step she took. Joe's chest passed on more heart beats. Butterflies flew in his stomach.

Another five seconds. She came closer.

At that moment, the dreadlocked boy had no clue on how he would even react to Quinn. He thought he'd say the most ridiculous things to her. Random things. Embarrassing things. Just _anything_.

He dug his nose back into the book he was reading for English. Okay, Shakespeare. Such exquisite literature. MacBeth. Romeo and Juliet. A Midsummer Night's Dream. What book was he reading? God could only know.

He forced the focus. He forced his thoughts on the characters. The plotline. The scenes. The language. He forced himself on anything to—

"Joe."

Holy cr—

The boy's head slowly lifted and his eyes slowly settled. There she was. She shyly looked down with her puppy eyes. Boy, she looked cute. Baby cats and 3-year-olds couldn't measure to that.

The blonde spotted the book he was reading. A worksheet settled underneath with questions to answer.

"So…I came here for my Latin class."

No words slipped out of his mouth. It kind of looked like he was going to stutter or something. Making a fool in front of Quinn Fabray was not on his to-do list.

The blonde placed her Latin books on the table next to his. Sweat rolled down the boy's forehead. What the hell? Was it really hot in here? Or is it just him? The temperature on the thermostat on the wall read seventy-six degrees. Not that bad.

So…what the hell was he sweating for?

He shifted himself out of his seat. Quinn caught him before he took another step. "Joe, wait." Her voice pleaded for him. She couldn't let him go.

And Joe couldn't let her go, either.

_Try me if you dare_.

Santana nearly echoed to him. He checked to see if she was around spying on him. Three guys with skateboards listening to earphones and headphones. Nothing. Two Cheerios reading magazines in the corner. Nothing. A table full of nerds reading up for a Chemistry project. Nothing.

No Santana in sight. However, that didn't mean he wasn't in danger already.

"I…I wanted to help you study. You seem like you're in a…bit of a struggle, right?"

Quinn was definitely right. But it wasn't just a struggle with class work. It was a struggle with himself with her. Oh God, any moment it'll be downhill from here.

He opened his book back to the page where he left off. Quinn looked at the cover again. "Shakespeare, huh? Romeo and Juliet? I love that story."

Joe only read about 3 chapters of the book, but he kinda agreed to what Quinn said. "I like it so far." That was the first time he said anything other than "I'm sorry, Quinn" before backing away from her.

The blonde grabbed the worksheet in front of him and read the questions silently. "I can help you answer these. I kinda had this in freshman year, so I'm pretty used to the language now."

Joe shifted slightly next to her with the book in his hand. Quinn took out a scrap sheet of paper from her binder.

Was this a sign? A sign that it'll get better? A sign that he was willing to stay with her?

Quinn had so many questions left unanswered. They were all bottled up, encased in a treasure chest, and thrown halfway into the sea.

"Do…do you need help with the first question?"

Her voice still sounded weak like yesterday. It got a little better, but it wasn't really.

"No, I got it."

Joe grabbed his pencil and started writing on a blank sheet of paper.

Quinn cleared her throat and looked back at the worksheet. Her arm shifted and her sharpener fell to the floor. Luckily, the floor was covered with rug. None of the scraps fell out.

Joe looked by his feet. The purple sharpener was sitting near the inside of his left leg. "Oh, let me help you—"

"It's okay. I got it."

Somehow, both of their arms raced to the floor. Quinn's upper body managed to sit over Joe's leg. A little bit of her stomach and her chest lay comfortably on it. It felt like holding a soft bunny rabbit.

There it goes again.

Ugh, Joe felt so uncomfortable. He felt a bit of stiffening from inside his jeans. His top teeth dug into his lip. He hoped and prayed that Quinn wouldn't see him stiffening when she arose from off his leg and from underneath the table.

Quinn almost lost her balance. Her right arm rested in the dreadlocked boy's lap. Her elbow hit his groin and—

There it was.

Quinn had a shocked facial expression, one that Joe couldn't see yet because his eyes were shut above her. He was…erecting.

She had vivid images of Finn Hudson ejaculating in her hot tub back in her sophomore year. The water bubbled at a temperature of 98 degrees Fahrenheit. Quinn wore her favorite red, two-piece swimsuit. She was as hot as hell.

Finn couldn't believe his eyes. He went berserk. He couldn't sit still.

Was…was _this_ the reason he was walking away from her? Because of his…his…

The blonde couldn't get the word in her brain. She couldn't believe it.

After retrieving her sharpener, she sat back in her chair straight and aimed her eyes towards Joe's face. "Joe," she awed, and Joe looked back. "Are you…um…"

_Am I what? What did she mean? And why is she sheepishly smiling at me?_

Joe was still perplexed. And then, the blonde's hazel eyes shot down in between Joe's legs where his privates were covered.

Yikes.

Teen Jesus' face was redder than a ripe tomato. Did Quinn actually see—or even feel—him going off down there? How did he miss that?

He quickly shifted away. "I—God, Quinn, I'm sorry."

The blonde chuckled. "It's fine. I've witnessed it before anyways." What pretty girl dating Finn Hudson _wouldn't_ notice Finn's penis hardening beneath him?

Joe looked ashamed even though Quinn was giggling at him.

The blonde folded her hands, cleared her throat again, and glanced at Joe again. "So…was this the reason you've been leaving me?"

He sighed. "I…I didn't mean to. Really, I didn't." He sounded really innocent to the girl. "Quinn, you're the…prettiest, sweetest, nicest, best-smelling girl I've met since I came here. I couldn't help myself."

There were so many words to describe the hazel-eyed girl sitting before him. He could go on about her.

"Are you sure? I mean, you've probably met other pretty girls for all I know."

What? What did Quinn say?

"Quinn, no. Don't do that. Why would you put yourself down like that?" He couldn't believe what Quinn was saying. Joe felt like he was a famous celebrity winning a Golden Globe. Quinn was that Golden Globe.

Quinn shrugged. "I guess I've been doing that a lot lately."

Joe nodded, convinced.

"I've lost a lot in the past two and a half years of my life. That's probably what's been bringing me down all this time."

Joe's head sunk down for a minute. The poor girl's self esteem was low. He didn't notice this in this Quinn Fabray. He always thought she knew that she was pretty. I mean, look at her. She's adorable. She's sexy. She's everything to him.

"Quinn…is there a way I can use my eyes to help see yourself? You know, like how I see you."

"I don't know. What would I see?"

"Perfection."

The blonde blushed and the dreadlocked boy chuckled back. Perfection. Quinn was perfection to him. No one ever said that to her. Some thought she was beautiful. Others thought she was sexy. Others thought she was talented. But no one said she was perfection. It lit her like a candlelight.

Everywhere in him, Joe felt good. He didn't feel nervous after that. It made him feel more confident.

Quinn glared back at him. "So…what are you looking for? To be my girlfriend?"

Pause.

He didn't know how to answer her. This was the kind of thing he discussed with Mercedes and Sam. Was he ready to be her girlfriend? What did God want him to do?

"I…I don't know." His eyes stared at Quinn's. She slightly nodded, giving an _okay, I don't mind_ look. "Y-Yes. Yes, I do. But…my faith means everything to me." Quinn's head shot back up, meeting eyes with the boy. _So he does want to be with me?_ She nodded.

Joe nervously bit his lip again. "It's just…well…when I'm with you, I don't care about the sins of the flesh. I just want to know it feels like to…be right next to you."

Quinn was surprised. The girl couldn't imagine giving up Christ just to be around her. Why? Why would he do that? Jesus Christ was the one thing other than his new school, his mother, and his friends that he loves.

"You…you would give up your faith to be with me?" It was so unbelievable to her that she couldn't get the words out right.

Joe shook his head. "I don't know. Are you asking me to?"

Quinn shook her head quickly. She couldn't stand the thought of it. "No…no, never."

Joe nodded and gathered his books. "Yeah, 'cause you don't like me that way. I get it." Quinn grabbed the boy's arm again. "No…because it's nice to know that there's something out there that can't be lost."

Really? So Quinn _did_ like him?

A smile grew on Teen Jesus' face. Quinn couldn't contain her laughter just looking at him. Her rosy cheeks grew redder. Joe still appreciated glancing at the adorable smile on her face.

Quinn could just pinch the boy's cheeks until they hurt him. He looked adorable to him, too. He was so young. So attractive. So truthful. She couldn't ask for anything more in him.

"So…what is this, about you and me?"

Quinn stared at him. He waited for an answer. He wasn't sure if Quinn wanted to be with him or not. A lot of questions flowed through his mind about her. What if she didn't want to? What if she did? What would he do then?

Quinn wanted to, but she had a lot on her mind. Making up with Santana. Graduation. Going to Yale. Everything. A relationship with Joe was another thing to add to her list.

Plus, she would move out of Lima to New Haven. Joe would be crushed to find out that she was moving away from her. Quinn would be crushed to leave him, too. She'd be crushed to never see him again.

She…she loved him. She couldn't get away from him. She wanted him.

The dreadlocked boy seemed so innocent. So anxious. So amazed to meet a person like Quinn. Quinn couldn't hold back from him.

"I don't know. Something new," the blonde replied, stroking back the strand of hair that was sticking out on his forehead separate from his dreads.

Joe lit up again. He saw this as a good thing.

Quinn beamed. She saw it as a good thing as well.

It was definitely something new, indeed.


	13. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

_Beep, beep!_

Quinn's car went off as she pulled the keys from her purse. She needed to settle down for a second. The school day couldn't get any busier…or could it?

"Quinn!"

Joseph's energetic exclamation startled her. Quinn whirled around and met up with him. "Is it okay if I study with you again?" He beamed brightly, excited to meet up with the pretty blonde again.

"English again?"

Joe took his Shakespeare book out of his bag. "Yeah. There's a review tomorrow."

Quinn smiled. How couldn't she? He still looked like the adorable Joseph Hart she spoke with during the library session. She wanted to study with him. She wanted to study _him_, actually. She wanted to know everything about him. His likes and dislikes. His strengths and weaknesses. Everything.

The blonde had to get home, though. Judy needed assistance with the house while she did some work at home.

She grabbed his book. "How about you come over my house and study?"

"Would your mom be okay with that?"

Quinn placed her backpack and Joe's book in the car, and took her phone out of her purse. "I'll call her," she explained. She was very handy. "Call your mom. Maybe she'll let you, too."

Joe had never used a cell phone before. His parents never gave him one. His father spewed all those lectures on how he shouldn't get so used to useless material items, and get used to all of God's wonderful creations for a while longer until he can think about getting him one. And by _wonderful creations_, he meant the sun, the trees, the people—things that weren't manmade.

Begging wasn't going anywhere when it came to Mr. Hart.

"You…don't use a cell phone?"

Joe shook his head. "Another strict rule my dad puts on me."

God, what a mean guy he was!

Quinn leaned against her car, the breeze blowing her short, glowing hair as she set up to dial. "Just put your number in my phone here." The blonde handed Joe the phone. He typed in every number he could remember and listen to the number of rings.

No one was answering just yet. He was anxious to speak with his mom. Even more anxious to come in contact with his dad. He might stress him to come home or something.

"Hello?"

"Mom, it's me." He couldn't be any happier to hear his mother's voice. She was utterly surprised to hear him at the moment.

"Joseph? Wha-Where are you calling from? The caller ID says—"

"I'm on a friend's phone. Quinn's."

His mother could easily recognize the girl's name, especially after the few conversations they've had about her. "Oh, Quinn Fabray. Can I speak with her?"

Joe handed the phone back to Quinn. "My mom wants to speak with you."

Quinn suddenly got nervous. This was Joe's mother! For God's sakes, it was Joe's mother! She wanted to make a good first impression. She didn't want to sound to sissy or to weak.

"Hi, Mrs. Hart. How are you?"

"Quinn, hey. It's nice to finally hear your voice. My son's been running his mouth all about you." Quinn beamed, glaring directly at Joe. He sheepishly grinned. The blonde couldn't stop giggling at him.

"Yes, Joe is such a sweetheart. I loved it when he tried to help me last month."

"Yeah, um…he's been telling me about his…well, feelings for you."

Whoops. There we go again.

Quinn nodded. "Yeah, we kinda discussed that earlier today—"

Joe's eyes popped out of his head. Discussed what? Was Quinn really—no!

"Discussed what?"

Quinn immediately saw him light up. He attempted a couple of times to take the phone away and connect back with his mother. She kept talking on the other line while Joe fought for the phone.

The blonde took her ear away from the phone for a second. "_Joe, what are you doing?_"

Was she serious right now?

"_Quinn, hand me the phone!_"

"_No!_"

The dreadlocked boy folded his arms. She looked so loose and incautious. He had only one tactic. "_Looks like I'm gonna have to tickle you, huh?_" he whispered back, and wiggled his fingers all over the blonde's arms, sides, and neck.

Quinn chuckled. Joe touching all over her, trying to grab the phone made her laugh so hard. She bumped into the side of her car, trying to escape Joe's hands. Unfortunately, she had no luck. Joe kept a close eye on her body and kept caressing her.

"_Quinn, what the heck?_" Joe mumbled, and the blonde laughed harder. How could Quinn possibly think this was funny, and his mother was embarrassing him over the phone? Ugh, mothers…

Mrs. Hart wasn't even sure if the girl was even listening to her anymore. All she heard on the other line was either Quinn laughing or Joe grunting.

"W-What's going on over there? Joe?"

The blonde heard his mother on the phone. She couldn't keep this up. Joe was busy stopping her. What a great way to treat your crush in front of your mother, Joseph.

Quinn pushed Joe's chest, and he bumped against Quinn's car as well. His arms begged for the phone back. He nearly wailed to Quinn. The girl wasn't listening to him anymore although she was still laughing. "Mrs. Hart, I'm…so sorry. Joseph here seems to be…a little embarrassed."

Joe groaned. He finally gave up. He pushed the blonde's arm away and stepped off to the side.

"_God damn it, mom!_"

Great. First he gets a tattoo imprinted on his chest, and now he's cursing? Later on, that whole thing he dreaded about the sex thing will come true. That would've been God's third strike. No more warnings from him.

Mrs. Hart gushed. "Oh, my poor baby. I know. He's been worried about it, like, forever."

Quinn couldn't agree more. She could almost tell by the way he looked at her. He would always bite his lip, pour sweat out of his glands, and shake his legs like jelly.

"Anyways, Joe asked me if I wanted to study with him. Then I asked if he'd be willing to study with me at my house. So…is it okay?"

It didn't take Joseph's mother that long to make a decision. It was clear that Joe loved being around her. He would talk about her each and every day. He would discuss how wonderful, beautiful, and smart she was. He would tell her everything he did with her. He seemed like the perfect friend for Quinn.

And what better way to get to know her more than to visit her at her house?

"Tell him to be back home at about five thirty or six."

"I'll drive. My mom gave me a car, so…"

Mrs. Hart smiled, wishing she could see her son smiling right beside the blonde. "You two be safe and have fun then."

Quinn turned to Teen Jesus and grinned, still holding the phone to her ear. "Thank you so much," she replied, and they both hung up. Joe couldn't do more but expand his grin and hug Quinn with his arms. The blonde hugged back.

"Thanks Quinn."

The blonde giggled. "It's not a problem." They let go, and Quinn opened the car door. "Come on. Let's go."

To return the favor to her, Joe offered to open the driver's door for the blonde. She felt really special at the moment that he was treating her this way. He was such a gentleman!

Mercedes and Sam had come out of the school, searching for their cars parked in the driveway. They spotted the adorable and wonderful sight in front of them: Joe helping Quinn into her car, and him piling in the front passenger's seat with her. Mercedes wouldn't be any prouder of them.

"Sam, look. Isn't Joe so handsome?"

Sam couldn't disagree. He actually liked how the two got along after the _not speaking to each other_ thing that has been happening for the past month.

"Our little Christian sophomore's growing up."

Mercedes rolled her eyes. God, Sam was a goofy junior kid, wasn't he? "Enough, Sam."

Sam cackled. "I'm just sayin'."

_Well, are you done just yet?_ Mercedes wanted to say while watching Quinn drive away in the red car with Teen Jesus.

* * *

"Quinn, is this your house?"

The car pulled up to a house located on Dudley Road. The neighborhood looked pretty rich and clean. It was like those houses you would see in rich towns such as Beverly Hills.

The blonde parked the car in the driveway and turned the engine off. "Yep, here we are."

Although everything seemed new and amazing, he seemed a little nervous. He wondered how Quinn's mother would first react to him. She'll probably see him as strange, as he's been told by many at McKinley High School. Was it because of the face? Or was it the dreads?

The dreadlocked boy grabbed his backpack from the back seat of Quinn's car, and they both stepped out.

"You'll like my mom. She's nice to everyone."

Quinn seemed very convincing. The girl was already a nice, young lady herself. She probably gets her good looks from her mother for all Joe knew.

"Is she?"

"She's as nice as your mom."

Joe smirked. "Yeah…she's pretty nice."

"I'll say. Maybe we should switch households for a day, huh?"

The dreadlocked boy gasped. "Quinn Fabray!"

Quinn held in her laughter, but then coughed it up. "Ah, just kidding."

She skipped to her front porch, grabbing the keys from her purse. Joe couldn't help but giggle. She was extremely cute when it came to the pep in her step. No one else could be that way.

"Mom, I'm home!"

"In the home study, honey!"

They called each other from a far distance, and Quinn's elderly neighbor, Miss Stevens could hear even with her bad hearing.

The hallway in which they entered in looked marvelous. The walls were painted a rich white like natural vanilla ice cream. The spiral stairway was attached to the wall, with pictures of Judy, Quinn, and what seemed to be the family man, Russell Fabray, hung up. It was elegant.

"Wow…Quinn, this is cool."

Quinn nodded. "I liked my old house better since my father was in it with us. But I love this, too, though."

"How could you not?"

The door shut behind them. The blonde placed her backpack on the ground, and was free to stretch and loosen every aching body part. "God, that hurt a lot!" she exclaimed.

Joe nodded, dropping his brown bag to the smooth floor. "I know. Who knew that Chemistry and English put a lot of weight on you?"

Quinn scoffed at the thought of those so-called, energetic teachers who happened to take three mugs of coffee each morning and have the nerve to assign millions of assignments.

"Oh, we have company."

The blonde's mother had just stepped in the room from the study down the hall, noticing the couple of thuds that hit the ground after the door closed.

"Mom, this is a new friend from school. His name is Joe. Joe Hart."

The dreadlocked boy bowed his head and extended his hand. "It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Fabray."

Quinn's mother was very impressed at the sight of him. She returned the offer by shaking his hand. "What a gentleman. Quinn, he's so charming, isn't he?"

The girl blushed. She didn't want to admit it—especially since her mother noticed the drawing with their names on it she drew last month. Joe was actually really charming to her. He _was_ the true gentleman.

"We're going to study some work for tomorrow, so…"

_Anything for my mom to not say anything embarrassing…_

Judy watched as the two rascals grab their bags and head for the stairs. "Hon, does your mom know you're here? I can call her if—"

Joe shook his head and his ponytail of dreads swayed along with him. "No, we called her about a few minutes ago. She's fine with it."

"Alrighty. Knock yourselves out!"

What? Joe just gave her the most confused look possible. "Figure of speech, hon." Joe may need more study time in English than he thought.

"You heard her. Study time."

Joe scoffed. "Since when are you my mom?"

"Since I walked into my house, where _you're_ a guest at!"

True.

Quinn grabbed Teen Jesus' hand. It was very smooth, almost as if she used a bunch of Johnson and Johnson this morning. Whatever it was, it certainly smelled and felt good. The blonde dragged Teen Jesus up the stairs to her bedroom.

"Looks like you can sleep comfortably up here."

When Joe entered the room, he saw a lot of pinks and purples. The bed was fully made with only pillows, stuffed animals, and a Bible covering one end. There was a lot of silk around, too. Quinn's mother probably went all out for her little princess.

The blonde plopped down on the end of her bed, exhausted. "A bit."

Joe placed his bag on the floor by the corner where the lace on the bed was attached. "So…English."

The blonde almost forgot she invited him to _study_. All she wanted to do was lay down and sleep. All she wanted to do was endlessly call people on the phone about random gossip. All she wanted to do was maybe watch TV downstairs, snacking on some of Judy's famous shortcakes. All she wanted to do was _anything_ except work.

"Yeah…English."

The dreadlocked boy caught on with her face. She wasn't mad or anything, but she had this frustrated look. Must be the million pounds of books put on them.

"You alright, Quinn?"

The blonde forced a smile. "I'm fine." Frankly, she wasn't, though. However, she had to make a good hostess for her guest. Otherwise…well, it just gets worse.

Joe took out his Shakespeare book and turned to where he left off. The blonde took a minute to bury her face in her hands, and then brushed off the hair that was in it.

"Okay, what do you need help with?"

"Just numbers 3 and 5 for right now."

He took out the worksheet he was instructed to work on and handed it to Quinn. Her hazel eyes skimmed through the questions. "Okay, you've got to translate these two quotes in your own words."

The dreadlocked boy stared in his book in confusion. "I don't even understand this book."

_God, no one did._ Back when Quinn read this book, she would leisurely draw pictures of people without the teacher noticing. Well, not _totally_ not noticing. I mean, how do you think she got caught by Mr. Crews?

"Here, allow me."

Joe handed her the book and she turned to the page with the correct Shakespearian quote. Good thing Joe had Quinn, or he'd be in big trouble.

Quinn located the first quote on page 8. "Okay, let's start with Montague." Joe nodded and grabbed his notebook and pen. "The quote says, '_So far from sounding and discovery, As is the bud bit with an envious worm, Ere he can spread his sweet leaves to the air, Or dedicate his beauty to the same. Could we but learn from whence his sorrows grow. We would as willingly give cure as know_'."

Joe drowned in every word the blonde spoke. It was beautiful. He almost lost concentration. Not only was she a beautiful singer, but she was a beautiful _reader_! What else was there for him to explore?

"So, let's break everything down first. Now, what do you think from 'so far from sounding and discovery' means?"

Joe stumbled on her question. He thought of anything possible. God, was he making a fool of himself again?

"He…he's…contained? I'm not really sure."

Quinn smiled. Was it right? Really? "Yeah, it basically means that he keeps his own secrets. You're good at this."

Joe smirked. "Well, not really—"

"Don't you dare!"

"What?"

"Put yourself down like that."

Joe cocked an eyebrow. "Oh seriously?"

Quinn smirked. "Yes, I'm stealing your lines now."

They both laughed.

Then, they both heard Quinn's books fall off the edge of the bed when they both jumped a little in it. The room was suddenly silent.

"Oops…sorry, Quinn. Let me help you."

"No, I got it."

Joe reached down for the books first, and Quinn followed behind. Their hands met at a point when they grabbed a textbook. Quinn's eyes fluttered for a moment. The dreadlocked boy's hands felt good over hers. Joe was glad to come in contact with the blonde's smooth, warm hand again.

Then they met eyes. They opened up to each other's eyes. They adored each other's eyes. They drowned into each other's eyes.

_My God, he's so…so…attractive._ Quinn couldn't hide her feelings. They were getting the best of her. But she had to get a move-on with her homework. _Homework, Quinn, homework! Get your homework done!_ How was she going to escape Joe's gaze? He caught her in his trap.

_My God, she's so…so…pretty._ Joe thought the same of Quinn as she did of him. He bit his lip, adoring her wonderful face. Her eyes glittered, her face was lighting, and her hair was giving off that golden-pride effect. _Joseph, get your work done! English, right now! English!_

Neither moved. They were completely frozen by each other's faces. They were complete eye candy. It was so sweet.

While the blonde stood there, the dreadlocked boy inched closer to her. He was captivated by her full, glittery lips. Quinn got closer, too. There was no escaping Joe's attractive face.

_Homework, Quinn, homework!_

_English, right now! English!_

Neither one of them listened to their own thoughts. All they focused on was the person in front of them.

And that's when Joe's lips touched Quinn's. He tasted strawberry on those lips. It reminded him of those so-called Jolly Ranchers his mother would get him sometimes. They tasted good. He wanted more. He reminded himself of a baby who licks their first lollipop; once they've got to it, they can't let go of it. And if anyone took it from him, then he might cry.

Quinn took a taste of Joe's lips. They were as smooth as his hands. They felt so good. She couldn't let those lips off him, either.

Before they knew it, they both shared a long, everlasting kiss on each other's lips. Their eyes were closed, fireworks popping inside every body part. Their fingers tingled. Their heads exploded. Their feet and legs shook. They wanted this to last longer.

And then…the doorknob twisted. Oh crap.

They immediately pulled away, and Quinn picked up the remainder of her books off the floor. Joe inched away from her back to where he was before.

"How's everything going? I brought cookies for you."

Quinn's mother, spreading the largest grin ever, brought in a plate full of chocolate chip cookies and two cups of milk. "How's your studying carrying along?"

The blonde teen stuttered, almost slipping the wrong words out of her mouth. "Oh, it—um, it's fine. We're done with about a couple of questions and…and all." Joe nodded in agreement.

"If you need help with anything, I'm here."

Quinn and Joe nodded, and the blonde's mother walked out of the room, leaving the two to look back at each other. Everything was pretty much awkward after that.

Joe started to stutter. "Uh…English."

"Yeah, English."

What a close call.


	14. Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen

"Quinn?"

"Yeah?"

"I feel…really strange."

Joe could only sit into the front seat in the blonde's car and think about what just happened. It all seemed bittersweet; at the same time, though, it was awkward. He felt good about it; at the same time, though, he felt bad.

That was literally his first-ever kiss with _any_ girl he's ever met. He liked it. It was the type of joy he was looking for with the blonde since he's been avoiding her all this time.

The kiss sent shivers all through Quinn's body. It brought back everything she felt when she was with Finn. Fireworks. Happiness. Magnets in their eyes attracting each other. It was a long-awaited moment. It was awakening. It was…well, magical.

She did get a part of where Joe was going with it, though. She hadn't been in a _real_ relationship with anyone since junior year. Going with Finn to prom after breaking up with Sam, and trying to make another baby with Puck, _definitely_ didn't count in that sense.

The blonde rested her head on the driver's seat. "Yeah, I guess." She didn't know what much to say to him. She was still frozen.

Joe leaned against the car window, letting his thoughts pass by like the birds flying past from above. "Can I ask you a question?"

The blonde looked through the mirror hanging from the roof of the car, and applied more strawberry gloss. "Feel free."

Oh God. Is Quinn going to say yes to this? Is she going to say no? Will she smile, yell, laugh, roll her eyes? Joe had so many thoughts as to Quinn's response. "Do you…um…do you like me?"

The blonde turned to him. "Of course I do. You know it."

"N-No, I mean, like, do you…_like_ me? You know, as…"

Quinn was a closed diary with a lock attached to it and a heart embroidered on the cover. No one was allowed to read her thoughts on crushes and affections. All of that was something she's been scared to do all this time.

Joe really meant well, though. He was everything Quinn can hardly find in a guy for the past 3 years. Only problem was that things were going too fast. Should she be happy with this? Should she wait until later on? Only time could tell.

She shook her head, thinking of what the consequences and achievements that would occur if she took a stand on this. "Joseph…you're a really sweet person, and I appreciate that."

The blonde's eyes shot to him. He had many ideas on his mind as well. "But…I'm not really sure of myself when it comes to liking a boy like that."

Teen Jesus played with a strand of his dreads. "That's reasonable."

Quinn still glared at him. The way he said that made it seem like he was let down by her. Did she put him down? Does he really understand?

"Joe…are you, um…?"

"Am I what?"

"Feeling kinda bad? You know, since I said—"

The dreadlocked boy turned in her direction. "No, I'm not feeling bad or anything. I just want to know where this is heading. I mean, Sam certainly thinks that we should go at something."

Sam? Sam Evans? Oh great.

"So Sam dragged you in the whole _hanging with me and wanting to kiss me_ thing?"

"He said I should step up from my personal level. I mean, before all of this, I was nervous to hang out with you and what you'd think of me. Plus, there's Christianity involved with that."

The blonde nodded.

Joe turned to her. "How…how do you feel about me?"

"I think you, Joe, are the kindest boy I've hung out with recently. As much as I want to be with you, I'm graduating in a few months."

"Where?"

"To a school in New Haven, Connecticut."

Connecticut. God, that was far away. Joe couldn't stand the fact of Quinn being miles and miles away from her. He wanted her right next to him. He wanted her to stay in the same neighborhood so they can still visit each other. He wanted time to slow so he can spend all the time with her possible.

Quinn had noticed that he hasn't spoken after she said New Haven, Connecticut. Poor boy. He has to stay in McKinley for two more years, and the blonde is moving on to newer places. Why can't she make a wish to be a sophomore right now so she and Joe can really be together?

She reached her hand out, her fingers softly pressing on the dreadlocked boy's fingers. She gripped a little harder and received his attention. If he wasn't let down before, he was going to be when June hits.

"I'm sorry. I really am. I don't want to leave anyone I love. You all changed my life. I can't see myself in any other place than home with all of my friends."

A slight smile. All Joe responded with was a slight smile. He was so blessed to be considered as anyone Quinn loved. He loved her, too. He loved everything about her. He didn't love the fact that she was leaving her, though.

He stuttered. "Quinn…"

Crap. What was he gonna say to her? Her porcelain face came in contact with his. Her beauty distracted from what he wanted to say.

"Yes Joe?" She waited patiently for an answer.

"I…I don't know if you want to or anything. Well, at least until you graduate, anyways." Good start, Joseph. Good start. "Quinn…can we…well, get started?"

Confusion whirred in the blonde's head. "What do you mean?"

"On a relationship. What I mean is, well…would you be willing to be my girlfriend?"

He couldn't believe he was asking that. The word _girlfriend_ sounded awkward and shaky coming out of the dreadlocked boy's mouth. He didn't want Quinn to believe something was mentally wrong with him, but he was so nervous.

"Hmm…girlfriend." Quinn needed a moment to think about it. "Seems bittersweet."

Joe nodded, still waiting on an answer.

Quinn was three guys' girlfriend: Finn Hudson, Noah Puckerman, and Sam Evans. She was confident enough to be with the three of them. How can she not be with Joe? And who could turn down someone as sweet and attractive as he?

She couldn't.

"I would like to."

Joe had the biggest smile spread on his face. A yes. A yes confirmed by the one and only Quinn Fabray. He reached towards her, his arms clenching the blonde's body. Quinn felt so warm and loving. Joe felt the same.

"We have to make promises for each other, though."

"Anything."

"First, no sex. I mean, I kinda broke that rule, like, years back. But I wouldn't want your dad storming to my house, yelling at my mom."

Joe nodded. "Check."

"Also, I'll promise not to be with any other guy when I'm with you. After all you've done for me, I wouldn't want to betray you."

Joe pulled apart to gaze into the pretty girl's hazel eyes. He never felt betrayed when he was with Quinn. He felt comfort with her when he was uneasy. He felt happiness with her when sad moments happen. He felt appreciation with her when others dissed him. He felt love with her when no one else did.

"No way. _You_ betray _me_? Never. I'll appreciate everything you do or say." Quinn couldn't help but smile. Joe calmed down a bit, rubbing her left shoulder. "And as a devoted Christian, I won't be with another girl other than you."

The girl nodded. It seemed pretty weird since it sounded like they're getting married at a young age. However, it was the right thing to. Quinn trusted Joe. He was a really honest person. He wasn't one of those guys who makes a girl their girlfriend, and goes after another. He was something special.

"Of course."

They gazed at each other. Neither one could take their eyes off the other. They were stuck in the moment. It didn't take long until their faces leaned in on each other's and their lips touched. Joe sucked in everything Quinn had to offer. Everything was sweet. It woke him up. It brought him to the reality of things.

It brought him to the reality that he could be free with her. It brought him to the reality that he can speak his mind. It brought him to the reality that he can be listened to without criticism.

Quinn was the most positive person in McKinley High he could ever have. He didn't wish for anything better than that.

_I can't have anything better. I can't have anything better than Quinn sitting next to me. Not anything._

* * *

"Sloppy! You sloppy babies! Is this what we're really going for?"

For a Wednesday in March, it was pretty warm out. The weather report predicted this day to be eighty-one degrees.

Sue Sylvester had her exhausted and wimpy Cheerios out on the football field to do warm-ups and practice stunts. They had been going at it for an hour already, and they were ready to stop.

"Uh-uh, Elena! You stop crying over there! Tears and fears will have you off this team in a matter of seconds!"

The cheerleading coach was on fire today. Her wicked cries reached out to the other side of the field. Even the runners on the track had enough of her yelling. They hoped she cracked something and just shut up for a minute.

"Wow, she's…really loud."

Quinn and Joe had snuck out to the field and sat on the bleachers, watching Sue tame the poor little Cheerios. About half of them were baking under the sun, and the rest complained about their performance.

The blonde chuckled at Joseph's comment. "Yeah, Sue's a pretty evil coach at times. Maybe she's behaving this way because of her pregnancy."

Joe turned to her. "Pregnancy? She's…she's having a baby?"

Quinn nodded. "It still seems pretty confusing to me."

The dreadlocked boy couldn't really see Sue's baby bump, being that she was turned around to shout at the girls in leotards and cheerleading skirts.

The blonde rested her head on Joe's shoulder as her eyes wandered around the field. Football players were on another end doing drills, track and field team members were running around the dusty tracks, and the cheerleaders were gathering to practice the stunt once more.

At that moment, Quinn spotted two familiar faces. One of them rested on a black-haired Cheerio's shoulder while she rubbed her pale face.

Brittany and Santana.

Before when Quinn was a cheerleader, she and the two girls would hang out almost every day. When they were the head students of the school, they'd take control of anything they can. They were like the Three Musketeers, stated by Brittany before Quinn changed from her punk phase.

Now they seemed more…distant. Quinn was no longer a cheerleader, which meant that the three can't spend as much time together as they used to. Not only that, but Santana and Brittany would always plan make-out sessions and dates with each other. It was a good thing to Quinn, though, because she couldn't possibly deny the friendship Santana has with the witty blonde.

"I miss being on the Cheerios." She was so caught up with seeing her two best friends that she didn't realize she said that.

_Quinn a cheerleader?_ Joe found that as one of Quinn's big accomplishments in her life. "You were on the team?"

The blonde nodded, still cuddling up in his shoulder. "That was last year, though. I kind of want to do it again. I mean, the Cheerios haven't won a championship since before that scandal with the human cannon Sue had."

Human cannon? Pretty extreme.

"Can't you still do it?" Joe asks.

"I'm…not really sure. I mean, they're prepping for another championship. Plus, I'm not as athletic as I used to be."

Joe took a moment to look at her. She looks as if she can cartwheel all the way to New York City. He wasn't sure if the blonde was trying to doubt herself again, but there was no reason to.

"I see you on that team, Quinn. You should go back. I'd be willing to watch you if you like."

Quinn smirked. "You wouldn't want to see me bust my butt."

"You're not going to."

The blonde took a moment to look up at him, needing more assurance. "Are you sure I won't?"

"Yes, I'm sure. You were probably amazing before. I know you will be once I get to see you."

Quinn felt a little more confident about her decision. She missed working out after school with the other girls. She missed wearing the infamous Cheerios leotard and skirt with the flaps. She especially missed spending more time with Brittany and Santana. It didn't seem like a bad idea.

"I'll definitely consider it," she spoke up.

Joe couldn't wait to see her. This was a side of Quinn Fabray he hasn't seen ever since he came to this school. Once she joined the cheerleaders, he would get to see her perform with the rest of her friends.

On the field, the two lesbian Cheerios went back to the benches to rest. Their arms and legs were killing them. If anything, it felt like they were going to rip apart.

"_Santana…_"

Brittany had placed her head on Santana's shoulder once again. A cute little sight caught her eye. Quinn was having a small conversation with Teen Jesus on the bleachers. Neither of them noticed Brittany and her girlfriend looking at them.

"My, my," a clever Santana spoke up. "Looks like our girl got hitched with another one. I didn't know she was feeling it that bad with Joseph."

Brittany looked bewildered at the dreadlocked boy. He had a charming smile on his face as he shared a laugh with Quinn after a joke. "Is Teen Jesus a lesbian like us, Santana? I mean, look at her. She spends more time with Quinn than anybody."

_Oh, God…_ Santana couldn't believe how ridiculous her girlfriend was acting. "Brittany, Teen Jesus is a boy."

Brittany cocked her head to the side. "Are you sure?"

"No girl has a singing voice, face, or arms like that."

Brittany nodded. "I'm kinda wondering why he wears cardigans all the time. Must be to cover up his armpits or something."

Santana couldn't hold in the chuckle from Brittany's statement, although it seemed utterly bogus. "Brittany, stop."

"I'm just sayin'."

* * *

"So, you're going to do it?"

"Of course I am. I already told you."

Quinn and Joe were at their lockers, grabbing their things and getting ready to go. They brought up the talk about Quinn returning to the cheerleaders again.

"I just hope Sylvester would let me."

Joe leaned against the lockers, his eyes pointed towards the blonde. "Why wouldn't she?"

Quinn opened her locker and grabbed a couple of books and her backpack. "Well, the Cheerios are getting ready for a championship. I don't even know all of the routines yet."

"You could if you just keep observing them. That's how I learned to play guitar."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah."

Unbelievable. _He's bluffing._

"But what if she says no?"

Joe took a moment to look at her. Who could ever say no to Quinn Fabray? She literally gets anything she wants. She'll even get things she doesn't even ask for…like a previously homeschooled, Christian boyfriend.

But knowing Sue Sylvester, it may have its side effects.

"She won't say no to you. You're going to be out there with those girls and winning another championship. If not, you can always try again. I mean, you are the bold and tough Miss Fabray, aren't you?"

The blonde cocked an eyebrow. "Intriguing."

Teen Jesus laughed and followed her halfway down the hall before making it to the exit. "Well, I have to get home. I'm supposed to meet my mom and dad at a church event afterschool."

The blonde wiggled the fingers on her right hand, which faced in Joe's direction. "Alrighty then. See you tomorrow," she said before standing on her tip toes and placing a light kiss on the dreadlocked boy's cheek.

They headed towards different directions. Before getting home, Quinn needed to find Coach Sylvester before she'd leave.

Quinn was nervous, though. Would Sue let her on the team like Joe predicted? The two have been somewhat close. Sue would always call her a young Sue Sylvester—at least without the bone structure.

Somewhere inside told Quinn that this wasn't going to work out. Sue was an empowering woman. She can even out rule the principal, who happens to lay back in the same leather chair and stare at students with just a little complaint whirring around in his brain somewhere. Sue, although evil, could do better than that.

Another thing inside her told her that cheerleading wasn't much of a big thing in her life. Even though the Cheerios gave her many friends, being off the team gave her a lot of thought about her future. It gave her a lot of thought on who her real friends were, what her real passions were, what she would be doing at Yale once she graduates.

There it was: Sue Sylvester's office door. Three seconds more and she was going to face the cheerleading coach's throne. And then—

"Hello Quinn."

Rachel Berry.

"Oh, Rachel. What are you doing here?"

Quinn spotted the brunette walk towards her. She seemed very peppy. Her knee-high socks, flats, and her bright smile pretty much gave that away. God, she must have the world record for the most knee-highs and flats in any girl's bedroom closet.

Rachel clenched at her backpack leaning off one shoulder. "I was gonna ask you the same thing."

Quinn took a moment to peek inside the window of Sue's office. All she could see were certificates, a TV hanging off the top corner on the ceiling, and Cheerios trophies. They almost blinded her eyes. She could hardly see Sue sitting at her desk with her Cheerios co-captain and assistant, Becky Jackson sitting before her.

"I was considering rejoining the Cheerios. I was kind of inspired when I spotted them at free period."

Rachel nodded, although she strongly thought joining on the Cheerios was a bad move. It made Quinn the hell of the diva in William McKinley. All of those past memories of Quinn trying to dominate over her and taking the power away from all of those insecure students came back to haunt Rachel.

She couldn't stop the conversation there just yet. "Inspired? By what, may I ask?"

"A couple of things," Quinn spoke up, playing with her fingers. "I missed spending as much time with my home girls as possible." Boy, did it sound weird for Quinn to call Santana and Brittany her _home girls_ or what?

"And…well…Joe thought that I'd be great on the team. He wanted to see me cheer with the girls, so…"

Rachel grew a smirk. _So it was all Joe, huh?_ She knew it. She knew it all along.

Quinn could sense her. She knew exactly what she was thinking. "Yeah, yeah. Go on with your sissy, gossipy, high-pitched squeal. Joe really likes me…and, well, I like him, too."

Rachel bit her bottom lip as she grinned. "So, you two are dating now?"

"Nothing much. Just hanging out at lunch, studying at each other's houses, seeing each other at church—"

The brunette cooed.

"He thinks that I have that ability to be on the Cheerios. I mean, he never saw me. And I really want to help the girls win another championship. This is my one shot to do it."

Rachel nodded. "Well, if I were you, I wouldn't really do it. I mean, being a cheerleader can do things to a girl."

_Understood._ Quinn continued to listen.

"But if it makes you feel happy and there's something meaningful that you want to achieve out of it, then there's no one stopping you."

Quinn smiled. "Thank you, Rachel."

Suddenly, the door cracked open. Becky Jackson walked out. "Quinn, Coach Sylvester wants to see you."

Quinn looked ahead of her at the open door. Well, it was time. Time to face her.

Becky glanced up at the brunette and scoffed. "Ugh, not man hands again."

For someone who has Down syndrome, and for someone that everyone should feel bad for, she was ultimately rude.

The Cheerio walked away with her hands on her hips. Rachel turned to Quinn and waved to her. "I'll see you tomorrow, Quinn."

Rachel was gone. It was Quinn. Quinn…and Coach Sylvester.


	15. Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen

"Coach Sylvester?"

"Q. My, how it's so quick you've gotten here. Have a seat."

The blonde teen looked around. It's been a while since she's been in Sue Sylvester's office. Everything looked so new to her: the cheerleading figurines, the certificates, the pictures of the girls winning in the past, and the gold and silver trophies that sat in the protective cases behind Sue's desk.

And then there's Sue. She wasn't as slashing and bashing as she was on the field earlier today. Why, she seemed even calmer. Maybe that extra half-hour rest in her seat really paid off.

Quinn sat before the cheerleading coach in one of the red folding chairs facing her desk. "Q, I came here to talk to you about my child."

Immediately, Quinn nodded and looked down to see if her baby bump had grown for the past month. "I know, it's such a blessing for you, right?"

"Yeah."

Quinn sort of felt an awkward silence. She almost didn't know what else to say. Sue was smiling brightly somehow, visibly putting emphasis on the crease lines on her face. "So…what did you want to talk about?"

"Well, it just brought me to my attention about your unexpected and quite depressing pregnancy from sophomore year," Sue began.

_Oh God, don't remind me._

"Anyway, I was just wondering if I can get your assistance."

Quinn nodded. "Anything for you, Coach."

"Well, I've been…well, overcoming illnesses this week."

Holy crap.

"It's been making me feel a little weak. Can't even watch over my poor Cheerios."

The blonde nodded. "You mean like morning sickness? There's not a cure for that, actually. I mean, when I was pregnant, I basically had lollipops and some tea to soothe the pain a little."

The Cheerios coach looked at her, impressed. "Lollipops?"

Quinn nodded. "Yes, ma'am."

Normally lollipops didn't help for anything except to cheer up little kids in hospitals and give them the worst cavities. Sue thought Quinn's suggestion, though strange, may help her.

"Well, you've given me a lot to think about," she finally spoke up.

Quinn could only nod. Why didn't she have much to say about this? This is Sue's baby they were talking about.

It must be Quinn wanting to be back on the Cheerios with Santana and Brittany. That's what she mainly thought about when she stopped to see Sue today. Now if only she can say yes at the moment and hand her one of those infamous uniforms and a schedule.

"Coach…" Her voice trailed off. Boy, she was nervous. "I wanted to ask you a favor."

The cheerleading coach sat before her, waiting for Quinn's question. The blonde figured out every possible way to tell her this. How could she be nervous around the Cheerios coach she's been with since freshman year? Was this a sign that Quinn really was weak? No. No, that can't be.

Finally, she spoke up with no hesitation. "I would love to rejoin the Cheerios."

"What?" Sue couldn't believe what she was hearing. After all that time Quinn has been off the Cheerios and went against her will to defend New Directions, Sue wouldn't ever expect Quinn crawling back to her.

"It's my senior year, and I want to finish it in a Cheerios uniform. I want to help McKinley win Nationals this year. I mean, other than Glee, this was the rest of my high school experience."

The blonde couldn't believe how long it has been. She spent almost 7 months out of the uniform in sophomore year, being that she was pregnant with her first-born, Beth. Then after joining the following year, she quit due to rebelling against Brittany being launched out of a human cannon and the fact that New Directions needed them. Now that all of that's gone, she can finally renew everything that the McKinley Cheerios have lost.

_She's asking me now?_ Sue still couldn't get the thought to pass in her head. Not only Quinn betrayed her before, but it was getting close to the end of the year. She can't spend all of her time coaching the blonde on the routines the girls have been working on.

Besides, the cheerleading coach saw this as revenge after what happened last year. They lost a cheerleading competition the same day the McKinley Titans had their football game. Boy, Sue felt so defeated and humiliated that day.

The woman looked up at her, shaking her head. "I'm sorry, Q. It wouldn't be fair to the girls who've been practicing all year and didn't quit."

Quinn was afraid of that. Sue was like a second mother to her for all her high school experience. She provided her with everything: dignity, self esteem, strength, and a red, white, and black uniform along with tanning and haircuts. She basically provided her with everything that Judy Fabray couldn't.

The only difference is that, Quinn hasn't been denied by her real mother.

Sue looked disgusted. She had sniffed something in the air that made her stomach turn. Of course, the only two things in the school that reeks of anything nauseating were the cafeteria and the boys' bathroom. The atmosphere smelled like hot dogs. Either the lunch lady was preparing another round of hot dogs for the following day, or a young gentlemen threw up in the hallway somewhere. However, the lunch room was closer by.

"Ugh, can you please get the hell out of my office? I just got a whiff of hot dog water from the cafeteria. I think I'm going to blow some serious chunks."

Sue had taken a paper bag from her drawer and opened it. Quinn looked disgusted as well. She couldn't stand the thought of lunch room food and someone vomiting right in front of her.

The blonde shifted out of her seat and headed out the door. _That was not the reaction I was hoping for._

* * *

"She didn't let you in?"

Thursday's school day passed by so quickly. It was a relief just for all of the students to get up out of their seats and run to their parents' cars or the nearest bus stop.

Quinn was at the locker, putting away her Latin books and retrieving her backpack and purse. She had told Joe the news about not making it on the team.

"Coach Sylvester said it wouldn't be fair for the girls who stayed on the team and didn't quit," the blonde explained. Sadly, she had to admit it somehow.

Joe hung his backpack over his left shoulder, and put his hand on Quinn's right. "It's alright, though. Maybe I'll just look at past Thunderclap photos with you in them. It wouldn't be much of a problem, right?"

Thunderclap? When did he hear of the Thunderclap?

The Thunderclap was McKinley High's yearbook. It highlighted all of the graduating seniors' moments, and pointed out the ones who made certain notables. Accompanying the Thunderclap were pictures of the different clubs and teams the school had to offer. Of course, Sue's precious Cheerios had to take up about six pages for each and every Thunderclap possible.

The blonde sure hoped that Joe didn't spot the graffiti and hate messages on the Glee photos. Most of their pictures had knives sticking in Glee members' heads, buck teeth on their faces, or ridiculous nicknames off the side. It scarred every member for life. Even Quinn's best friend would be teased for her peppy attitude and her librarian, baby doll-type outfits.

Impressed by his learning skills, Quinn turned to Joe, and his hand fell down to his side. "So you've been learning, huh?"

Joe smirked. "Of course. I'm gonna be here for another two years anyway."

Quinn nodded unfortunately. "That's true."

Poor Joseph. Quinn didn't want him to stay at McKinley for another two years. She didn't want to be in her senior year at that moment. She wanted to be a sophomore again, relive everything she's gone through, and erase anything terrible that happened in her life.

Too bad they didn't sell a time machine in places like Best Buy and Wal-Mart. Otherwise, she would've been ready to head off right then and there.

"Aw, why are you upset?" Joe spotted her little puppy eyes. She couldn't answer. She was too busy thinking about how her senior year was going to end. Joe couldn't blame her. "Don't worry too much. You're going to be fine without me."

"How do you know?"

"'Cause you'll be doing amazing things at Yale, that's why."

The blonde shook her head, trying to get the words right. Her thoughts were the lyrics to the song playing in her mind. If she could speak them right, then it's possible for Joe to understand. "I just…really want to stay here a little longer. Actually, just start all over. Not just because of you, but my past."

Joe nodded. "You don't like how everything back then turned out somehow."

"Exactly. I want to be your age again. I want to have it all back."

"Sounds pretty understanding. We all wish to do that, right? We can't, though. You know, time machines don't exist, right? We can't really alternate anything once you think about it."

Damn. He catches on pretty well.

And then, a flashback. Quinn suddenly remembered the week they were doing Michael Jackson songs. How in the hell could she not see that? Everything seemed so…ironic to her. It was so easy for Quinn to tell Rachel these things. For some reason, she couldn't tell herself.

Quinn couldn't control her own mind and what it should be thinking about. She should be thinking about her future and not her past. She should be thinking about where she's headed and not where she was. She should be thinking about who she'll encounter and not who she _has_ encountered.

If she was stuck on thinking about her past…then, well, what would that make her?

"You're right." Quinn spoke up after those couple of seconds of thinking. "I can't change anything."

Joe leaned against a set of lockers, glancing at her. She had a lot to think about. It kind of took over what she's supposed to do.

The blonde turned back to Joe, trying to change the subject. No more not being satisfied. No more feeling depressed. No more thoughts of changing things. Just focus on the present. "Life's too precious. I'm not going to sit here and waste it." The dreadlocked boy nodded in agreement. "So, what do you want to do today?"

Joe shrugged. "What do you mean?"

"I was thinking…well, if you were interested in going out with me."

Going out? Going out as in…_a date_? It lit up Teen Jesus like a light bulb. That idea just came out of nowhere. This was an amazing feeling he had.

He smiled. "Of course. Where to?"

"Maybe Breadstix again. Or we could try another place."

"Where else?"

* * *

Time proceeded very quickly. It's almost like minutes and hours never even existed. Before he knew it, Joe spotted the blonde parked in her red car outside of his house. The first thing he saw coming out of that car was her locks glowing in the sunset.

God, he hoped that there won't be a repeat of what happened on Valentine's Day. That has got to be the most embarrassing moment of his life since he transferred into McKinley.

"Sweetheart, Quinnie's here!"

Joe's mother stepped into the living room, not noticing that her son was already there. She was getting ready for another Bible session at their church. Her Bible couldn't be found just yet.

"I know. I see her, mom," Joe replied.

The dreadlocked boy shot his head down to his clothes. The best he had to throw on was a blue cardigan with a white shirt underneath, some jeans, and his brown sandals. He didn't feel comfortable like this, though. Quinn deserved more than this. If only he had more to offer.

Well…it was better than nothing at all.

_Ding-dong! Ding-dong!_

Joe's head shot up all of a sudden. Quinn was waiting on the porch for him. Well, time to give it a shot.

"Have fun, honey! I'll be back at 7:30."

"See you later, mom!"

Mrs. Hart had gone to her car right after Joe took a seat in Quinn's. Quinn was pleased to see him. He had that same charming smile on his face, the dreads in a ponytail, and the same brown sandals he'll occasionally bring with him to school. He was perfect. She couldn't keep her mind off him.

At least there was one thing about Quinn's life that she didn't want to change.

"So, are you ready to go?"

Joe smiled at the blonde. "More than ever."

Quinn started up the engine and drove out. She had the brightest smile she could ever have. She was excited to show Joe this new place she found out about. According to Mercedes and Rachel, it was extravagant and fantastic.

Only six more blocks until they made it there. Five. Four. Three. Two. Everything went so fast.

"We're here," the blonde declared, stopping her car engine and getting out.

A part of this so-called new place was assumed to be very fancy, but also cheap. It's called Cathy's Diner. She just opened up the place about a week and a half ago, and business was going pretty well.

Joe got out of the car and looked around. A black fence surrounded the perimeter of the restaurant, and was decorated with pots of red roses. It really brought out the elegance of the place. Joe couldn't believe Quinn brought him here.

The blonde took a menu out of her purse. "Mercedes gave me this if you wanted to look it over."

Teen Jesus looked at the menu. Everything cost relatively thirty bucks or less. Good thing he brought extra just in case.

They both stepped inside. There was a rosy aroma mixed with the smell of food cooking in the back where the chefs were. A decent amount of people showed up. Business really _was_ going well.

The found themselves a booth seat and sat across from each other. "Do you like it so far?" Quinn glared around at the beautiful set up they had. How could anyone not like this?

"It's very nice." Joe looked around. Most of the customers he spotted other than he and Quinn were some families with other teens and children, and old married couples. "Are you sure we can afford this?" After skimming through the menu, everything seemed to cost a lot after adding it all.

"I promise you we'll have enough. Let's not worry about that and have a good time. After that little chat we had before leaving school, I want things to move on swiftly and nicely."

That was the truth. Joe was proud of her at the moment. No longer will the blonde continue with the _my life sucks_ phase. She had to move forward somehow.

About an hour later, they were still in the restaurant, finishing up the rest of what they ordered. They had random conversations about either Sam and Mercedes, or the Glee club. Most of them were quite hilarious. Joe tried calming down his laughter, but every joke Quinn spat out almost made him shoot the lemonade out of his nose.

"No way, really?" Joe asked on the topic of the Glee club members' "Push It" performance. He smiled widely, listening to everything Quinn explained. Every detail went down from Artie smooth singing to Finn and Rachel grinding on each other.

"Yes, they disgusted me. Brittany kind of enjoyed it, and Santana thought it was stupid and little humiliating for them. I don't blame them."

Joe wiped the sweat off his forehead with the red napkins. He laughed so much that the temperature went up.

Quinn could clearly see that her newly-declared boyfriend was having a good time. This was practically the most fun she's ever had all week. "So, what do you want to do now? I can drop you off at home, I can help you study, I can pick you up something before you head off…"

Joe stared up at the clock. It was 7:15. He needed to get home. "Yeah, mom's gonna wonder where I am. I should be going."

"Alright then, we can go home then. Come on."

Quinn placed the money on the table, and followed Joe to the car awaiting outside. Before driving off, they took a moment to talk some more.

The blonde turned to Teen Jesus and grinned. "How was your first date with me?"

Joe smiled back. "I loved it. If only time didn't go so fast."

"I know. I was really having fun." Joe nodded. "But we wouldn't want your mother to worry or anything."

"Yeah, I wouldn't hear the end of it with her," the dreadlocked boy responded.

Quinn nodded and checked herself out in the mirror. Her hair was a little out of place before she combed it back. Joe watched her. She was gorgeous. She had something about her that Joe didn't see in any other girl. She was wonderful. She was unique.

Joe didn't want to leave her. Unfortunately, he had to. His mother was going to be waiting for him. Mrs. Hart would either have steam coming out of her ears, or she'd be pacing the living room floor waiting on her son. Joe didn't want that. He wanted Quinn, though. There had to be a way to see her again.

"Quinn, would you maybe want to do this again?"

"Another date? Sure. Any place you want this time."

"Maybe a movie or something. The park. Here again. It doesn't matter to me. I'll be with you, and that's all I want."

_It doesn't matter to me. I'll be with you, and that's all I want._ The same sweet thought replayed in Quinn's brain. It reminded her of a level-up on a video game that Finn Hudson or Artie Abrams would play on.

The blonde faced Joe. He was smiling sweetly at her. She smiled sweetly back. They sensed something more than just this one time together. They sensed spending every moment together, and it was all bittersweet.

"That's really all you want?"

Teen Jesus nodded confidently. "That's all I want."

Quinn cooed. "Joseph, you're such a sweet guy. Anyone would be lucky to be friends with you." He was so adorable to him that it was ridiculous.

Joe's eyes glued to hers. "Even you?"

Quinn smirked. They've been friends for two months already. Quinn had many friends before him—and still does, actually. She couldn't be any more blessed than she was right then.

"Yes, even me."

Joe was captivated by her. She was so kind. She was so pretty. She was…she was Joe's first-ever girlfriend. He felt even more blessed than he ever was.

Quinn leaned in on him. She still had that sparkly grin on her face. Her lips touched Joe's at an instant, and she fought for him to come closer. Joe leaned towards her, kissing her back. Before they knew it, they were hugging each other as well. Their lips fought to be over the other's.

They didn't even notice the people looking through Quinn's front window of her car. Quinn didn't mind. Neither did Joe. They comfortably sat in the front seats of Quinn's car, making out with each other. The air was humid, but satisfying. The soft seats they sat on made them itch for some reason. They…they itched for more. They itched for more of each other.

Quinn continued on, kissing the dreadlocked boy's cheek, his chin, and back to his lips again. Joe reached for Quinn's cheek, lightly kissed it, and then whispered something into her ear. "_I…I love you._"

The blonde couldn't resist. It made her want to kiss the boy again. It made her want to continue this on. She didn't even notice that there was only ten minutes left until Joe had to be back home. All she was thinking of was Joe's sweet words to her. The first time he ever said "I love you" to her. She couldn't ask him to say more. She couldn't.

"_I love you, too._"


	16. Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen

"Well, here we are."

Quinn parked her car on the side of the curb. Joe unbuckled and peeked in the house from where he was sitting. His father was sitting on the couch, listening to talk radio, reading a newspaper, and drinking some coffee. He seemed very relaxed.

Joe turned to Quinn and grinned. "Thanks a bunch for going with me, Quinn."

"The pleasure's all mine," Quinn replied before lightly kissing his cheek. "I'll see you tomorrow at second period."

"And fifth."

"Of course."

With all of his things intact, Joe climbed out of the vehicle and watched as his girlfriend drove on home. He couldn't believe that it would have to be that way once the blonde graduates. Everything would shatter into pieces. Everything would fall separate from each other. Everything just wouldn't be right.

"Joseph! Hey honey."

Teen Jesus suddenly remembered that his mother had been gone all this time. She parked her car in the driveway and greeted the boy with two kisses on his forehead and a hug. "How did you enjoy your time with Quinn?"

"I loved it, mom. I had fun."

"Great to hear. Let's come on inside, alright?"

The two made it through the front door, greeting a man in sweats and a white T-Shirt, who sat comfortably in his spot on the couch. "Hey there, baby doll. Joseph. How was your day?"

Mrs. Hart placed her purse and Bible on the coffee table right in front of him, plopping down on the couch next to him. "It went along well. I had some new members join the club today."

"Nice," Mr. Hart responded, sipping more of the coffee in his mug before turning to his son. "What about you, sport? How was your day?"

Joe thought back to his first date with Quinn. There were so many things he did. Ate a nice, decent dinner. Talk about Glee club members and Quinn's memories with them. Helped solve simple dilemmas. Kissed and hugged each other in the car—

Hold up. Stop right there.

Joe wasn't very comfortable discussing romance with his father. All the advice he gave was to wait until it was the right time. Joe wanted to know when…right now.

Was it the right time? Was it the right time to start having these feelings for a girl? Was it the right time for him to go on a first date with the girl he loves? Was it the right time to finally have a kiss after moments of impatiently waiting? He wanted to know when it was the right time…right now.

"It was…pretty great." Going into any further detail would have some serious consequences.

Unfortunately, his mother was pretty eager and excited to hear everything about Joe's friendship with Quinn. Like Joe, she couldn't stop talking about it. "He got to spend more time with Quinn. Remember her, the one we saw at the school?"

_Really mom? We could've waited at least a few more moments…but just not right now._

"Yeah, the blonde that wore a lot of dresses." That's all Mr. Hart could remember Quinn by. Many of the girls wore a lot of dresses, though. Rachel Berry. Tina Cohen-Chang. Santana Lopez and Brittany S. Pierce, especially when they're not in a Cheerios uniform.

"How do you like her so far, Joe?"

Crap.

Joe didn't want to say how much he really liked her on the inside. That part of Joe's mental journal was something he wanted to keep secret until the time was right. "She's…great so far." His father nodded.

"That's it, Joe?" the dreadlocked boy's mother chuckled. "You go on and on about this girl until your eyes get droopy and you fall out."

"Mom!"

How embarrassing.

"I'm sorry, baby. It's just infectious."

To her, it definitely was.

Mr. Hart stood up and headed towards the kitchen. "Seems really infectious from what your mother's telling me."

Mrs. Hart scooted over next to her son, who was sitting bashfully on the sofa. "Aren't you glad you didn't transfer into Matthew Phillips High? I mean, the kids down there are so awful. No one of the girls could be like Quinn Fabray, right?"

Turns out that there are worst things in life than being embarrassed by yourself or your mother, avoiding a girl because of your _feelings_, and being scolded by your father for religious issues. What is there? Well, there's rape and gun violence. There's problems in the economy. There's problems with your enemies and your friends. Hell, even problems with being an average teenager in a dangerous world like this.

There were especially problems with Matthew Phillips High School overall.

It's said to be in the top fifteen high schools in Lima, Ohio. It's twenty percent close to being a selective enrollment school. Students study a lot, receive A's in almost every class, and are trained to be professionals. Seems pretty simple, right?

Wrong, wrong, wrong. Just—God, all wrong!

It was located in a pretty terrible neighborhood. Torn-down houses with broken glass. Items always getting stolen. A news reporter by the street Matthew Phillips is on, getting the scoop on the latest homicide.

The students themselves were even terrible. Actually, the statistics behind each were even worse. Twenty-eight percent of girls would get pregnant before they graduate. Nineteen percent would get raped by an abusive boyfriend or a stranger on the street. Twenty-four percent of boys who graduated from there either didn't make it to college or dropped out in, like, their sophomore or junior year of college. Thirty-two to about forty-one percent of freshmen and sophomores would get bullied by a senior.

And my, Mrs. Hart didn't want that kind of treatment for her precious son.

Joe only heard of that school about four months before transferring into McKinley High. He hadn't seen the actual location, but he was sent a variety of things. A school newspaper had been shipped in the mail, along with a brochure and a letter from their principal, Dr. Stewart Hite.

They promised him everything. They promised to get him the best education possible. They promised that he would be safe. They promised he would meet new friends and get out of the comfort zone of being a homeschooled student. They promised that he'd successfully make it out of there and graduate to a great college or university.

Joe had many goals for going there. First of all, to make a difference in the student body. To rehabilitate the students who have gone through troubles in their lives. To teach them about Christ and success if they're headed towards the wrong pathway.

If Joe was going to transfer into that school, he needed more than his pocket Bible and a positive mindset to do all of that. Perhaps maybe ten therapists. Or even doctors from a mental hospital. Or teachers down from the prison centers.

Joe was lucky he didn't have to go there. William McKinley was his new school. He denied nothing. He didn't deny joining the God Squad. He didn't deny interacting with many of the students and alumni. He especially didn't deny being friends with Sam, Mercedes, and Quinn. He accepted everything. He loved everything. He cherished everything. He prayed for everything.

"Honey, I smell something on your face. Is that strawberry or something?"

Joe was suddenly alert. _Strawberry? On my face?_

Quinn Fabray.

Quinn was on him. Quinn was stuck to him like the tacks that held up fliers on bulletin boards. Quinn held on to him. Quinn was engraved in him. On his cheeks, on his lips, on his chin, and…on his tongue.

Quinn was everywhere on his body, even if the only evidence shown was just her strawberry lip gloss. Her warmth was on the dreadlocked boy's upper body. The dazzle from her eyes were in Joe's eyes. Her fingers came in contact with some strands of his dreads.

Quinn was everywhere. Just freakin' everywhere.

What was he gonna cover all of that up with? He can't lie to his own mother. He was a truthful person. He just couldn't do it. But his mother was on him like the white on rice. There was no way out.

Joe just sat still. So still that not even a bee that could buzz pass could sting him on his arms. His mother observed his face. She didn't see anything yet, until—

"Joe, there's…glitter on your face," she stated, clenching the sides of her son's chin and squinting to see glitter spots on his cheek. The dreadlocked boy could only think of why Quinn would put on lip gloss with glitter on it. One thing he didn't know about girls is the fact that they'll leave anything of theirs behind, whether it's glitter from lip gloss or their valuable jewelry.

Mrs. Hart was still perplexed. _Why would there be glitter on my son's face?_ "Son, I don't understand why—"

It finally hit her. The talks of Quinn afterschool. Going with Quinn to dinner. Studying with Quinn. Hanging out with Quinn at lunch. Taking Quinn to the Valentine's Day party. The pieces of the puzzle fit together perfectly.

Quinn was more than Joe's best friend. Quinn was Joe's girlfriend.

Mrs. Hart gushed, although Joe looked at her, worried. "Does my baby have a girlfriend? Aw, so sweet."

Joe cleared his throat, hoping that his father wasn't listening to her awe from the kitchen. "Mom, let's not talk about—"

"Why not? What's there to be ashamed about?"

Mr. Hart came back in the room with his mug of coffee and his newspaper. "What's the commotion in here? Gossip about one of those so-called celebrities again? Teens these days."

Teen Jesus rolled his eyes. Of course, the parents of people in the younger generations wouldn't get the concept of celebrities anyway.

"No, we're just talking about…" God, he couldn't lie to him, either. Students at McKinley High probably wouldn't understand the life of a previously homeschooled teenager who has a father that strictly goes by Christian beliefs.

However, Joe wasn't up for conversation. "…Sam and Mercedes."

"Are those the ones that are in the God Squad with you?"

"Yeah. Sam wants to be his girlfriend, but this other guy's in the way."

Mrs. Hart cocked an eyebrow. "Oh really? Who?"

"Shane Tinsley. He's a football player. Pretty tough guy."

Mr. Hart nodded and sipped his mug. "Boys these days will always want a girlfriend, do they?"

Joe shook his head. "Not really, Dad."

"Keep thinking that now. Some teenage boys have these hormonal things going on, and they would want to have sex with this hot cheerleader or a provocative nerdy-type girl or something. To you, it may be a stereotype. To me, it's real." Teen Jesus always thought about that every night when he was taught on sexual relations. Society changed a lot. Society was a living hell.

"Even after visiting Matthew Phillips before you transferred, that still haunts me. It haunts me if it'll happen to you. That's why I'm asking you to wait until you succeed with something, and meet the girl of your dreams. Then you'll marry her, honeymoon, and all that. Then you can carry on and do whatever you wish."

Unenthusiastically, Joe looked up at his dad, trying to agree with him but mentally failed. "Thanks a lot, Dad."

Almost every time they'd talk about someone dating or some story that comes up on the radio about relationships, Mr. Hart would always have a lecture to tell about the truth of how relationships should go down. No early sex, no drama, no nothing. Just stay abstinent. And each time, it would lose its effect.

The smell of glittery, strawberry lip gloss closed in on Joe's face. The glitter. Mr. Hart couldn't see the glitter. He needed to wash it off.

"May I be excused to go to my room?"

"Of course."

Joe sprinted up from his seat and walked up the stairs. Every step he'd take would make the floor creak. Man, that was annoying.

"I'm worried about him," Mr. Hart spoke up, drinking some more coffee and bringing his eyes back to the newspaper.

"I am, too," Mrs. Hart replied, looking back at the staircase where Joe had trailed off on.

Lies. If it was one thing Joe's mother couldn't tolerate were lies. Joe lied to his own dad. What was the reason for it? Dating a girl was one of the best things that happened to him when he first came to McKinley. Why did he have to lie to his father about it?

She needed to know. She needed to know right now.

* * *

As of Tuesday, Quinn was officially declared as Joe's girlfriend. Joe was officially declared Quinn's boyfriend. They could see each other, spend time with each other, date each other, love each other.

Having Quinn was presumably the reward from God that Joe has received for his good deeds as a God Squad member, a trustworthy friend, and a positively-influencing student overall.

But like life has rewards, it also has punishments.

Joe really didn't want to lie to his dad about the two lovebirds kissing earlier that evening. He really didn't. Joe loved his parents, and he loved Quinn, too. They were Joe's three favorite people. But his dad…oh, his dad…he had many restrictions. His son being with a girl at such a young age was one of them. Joe wasn't understanding the purpose, though. If he liked Quinn, he should be with her, right?

Well, let the fate decide that.

He was in the bathroom closest to his bedroom, wiping the glitter—and unfortunately, the lip-gloss kisses—off his face. There could not be one piece of evidence to show that he and Quinn were dating and making out.

He scrubbed each stray spot of glitter. It worked a little. He continued scrubbing. _Sorry, Quinn. You should know by now how my dad is._

The door squeaked open. "Joe, baby."

His mother's head peeked in the door. "Honey, can I come in?"

She spotted him wiping Quinn's sweet kisses off his face, and stepped in the room, closing the door behind her. Joe walked towards the bathtub and sat on the edge.

"Why did you lie to your father?"

Oh, here we go.

Joe didn't say anything. He was ashamed. He was worried if his mother already told him about Quinn while he was up here. What did happen while he was up here?

"You're not answering me, Joe."

Her voice sounded sweet but stern. Joe had to say something, but he didn't know what exactly.

"I didn't want to. Really, I didn't."

"Then why did you?"

"Because…because…of what we just talked about."

"What do you mean?"

"The urge to have a significant other and stuff like that. Dad wants me to wait until I'm older. This is happened right now. It's like when I accidentally threw that baseball he gave me into the window, crashing his collection of crosses. What was he going to do to me if I told him about this?"

Mrs. Hart looked down at her son. He was feeling hopeless. He either had to follow what his dad told him, or something unexpected would happen.

_Oh, this man on my son about religion. Day in and day out._

As much as she agreed wholeheartedly about her faith and how it went down, it seemed too much for Joe. Every time, it seemed as if he and his own mother were held hostage or something. They would have to listen to him lecture for almost fifty minutes each. It was something really important in the Hart household.

So important…and Joe felt like he did something wrong.

His mother sat on the edge of the bathtub with him, and wrapped her arm around his back. "Joe, I understand. Your father may over exaggerate just a tad one time or another."

You think?

"He loves us, and he wants to protect us and help us move on to a better future. That's all he's trying to do. You don't have to be worried about discussing these things with him. I think he'd like to know, don't you think?"

Joe shrugged. Nothing seemed much familiar to him about what he should do.

Mrs. Hart kept her eyes on the dreadlocked boy. He was young. He was new to everything. He was confused. He was in love. He had a lot to learn.

"In my humble opinion, I think you should start off at a young age just to know who you are when it comes to love. You should know by now, don't you think?"

"I guess so."

"I know you have a wonderful relationship with Quinn, and I love the fact that you get to spend all your time with her. But understand that it's what you think that should matter. Don't worry about me. Don't worry about Dad. Don't worry about Quinn. Worry about you."

_Worry about you. Worry about you._

Words of wisdom from Mrs. Hart, everyone.

"Thank you for helping me, Mom. I'm just not sure if I'm ready to tell Dad yet."

Mrs. Hart nodded. "You can tell him whenever you want. Figure out the right time. If it feels right, then just go with it."

Joe looked up and smiled. He was so lucky to have her by his side. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her on the cheek. Mrs. Hart hugged back, feeling the warmth from her son's body.

"Are you almost done in here?"

"Almost. I need to clean my face off."

His mother chuckled. "Okay, but be in bed at 9:00, you got me?"

"Yeah, Mom. I get it."

Mrs. Hart finally stood up and headed out the door. Before she made it into the hall, she opened the door halfway and turned around to her son. He looked so grown up. Matured. He was so intelligent, too. There were so many positive things she could say to him right now.

"You're such a sweet gentleman, aren't you?" Joe blushed as he looked at his features in the bathroom mirror. "Quinn must be really lucky to be with a boy like you."

She was proven right. Quinn was very lucky to have Joe. And Joe was lucky to have her. Everything was placed right. Joe got everything he wanted.


	17. Chapter 16

Chapter Sixteen

"So, you made it on the team after all, huh?"

Just a couple of minutes ago, Joe saw her girlfriend dancing and singing onstage with other members of the infamous New Directions. She was on fire. She was amazing. She was gorgeous. Even if she didn't have a solo, Joe imagined that Quinn was the only one there.

He was very proud of her. Last week, she had problems dealing with what already happened in her life. Having a baby. Cheating on or being dumped by a few guys. Almost throwing away her identity at the beginning of this year.

She was a changed girl now, and she successfully helped win first place for Regionals. It wouldn't be long until she made it to Nationals.

But something about Quinn now was…kinda different. She was still in her body. She was still the free spirit Quinn Fabray. She was still the beautiful, sweet, and smart girl Joe had a crush on.

It must've been the red, white, and black uniform she slipped on minutes before.

Earlier, she had that black dress which showed off her slender legs and arms. The ribbon around her waist brought out her hazel eyes, even from kilometers away.

This is what being a prodigy in Lima, Ohio felt like. Shining in many spotlights, with the audience glaring up at her. She felt like they lifted her up to heaven so everyone could see her in the blinding lights. An angel. A blonde angel. A musically-perfected angel. That's what she was, an angel.

Now, she was standing right in front of the dreadlocked boy so he could get a better glimpse of her. No black dress. No heels. No hair out with a headband. Instead, a red leotard with the initials WMHS on the top half, a skirt with flaps that showed off her thighs when she twirled, and white tennis shoes with the infamous Nike sign on them.

On the bright side, she was in a more cheerful mood than she was onstage. She felt like she won twice. A Regionals first place trophy…and a spot on the Cheerios.

"Coach Sylvester spotted me onstage, and was impressed with me. So she gave me this as a present." The blonde grinned from ear to ear, showing off her good side.

Joe laughed. "Too bad I couldn't see you with your Regionals dress on."

"Believe me, Mr. Schuester took many pictures of us before and after. I can give you a copy of them if you like."

"Oh wow, thank you."

"Besides, you said I could be on the team if I wanted to, right? And I wanted to. Sue finally saw the light in me."

"Well, thank goodness for this."

"I know. It's a blessing, isn't it?"

"Right."

There was a silence. With a Regionals dress, a Cheerios leotard and skirt, or even one of her signature dresses and skirts from home, Joe still thought she was beautiful in any way.

Quinn had her left foot standing on the toes, twisting it back and forth. She held her hands behind her back. She adorably accepted the silence somehow.

"So…what would you like to do?"

"Don't you need to get back with your friends?"

"No, not really. Sam's trying to work things out with Mercedes. Rachel and Finn are trying to work out their love life. Santana and Brittany are…well, doing silly things. I'm pretty much alone."

"Not anymore."

Quinn giggled. My, he was so cute. He was right, though. She had him. She didn't have anyone else but him at the moment. She was satisfied with it, too. "May I ask to come to your house?"

Joe looked up and down at the Cheerio's uniform and chuckled. "How? Dad's gonna kick you out for wearing that?"

Quinn smirked, slapping her hip. "What, he can't handle this?"

Joe grabbed onto his cross around his neck, and showed it to Quinn. "Apparently not."

They both shared jokes. They both shared laughs. They both shared smiles. They exchanged looks. There was a lot to share with someone you really care about. That's one thing that Mr. Hart won't get about these two.

"No seriously, I'll ask him."

"You can ask him right now," the girl replied, handing him her cell phone.

"Right now?"

"Right now."

"Are you sure?"

Quinn stomped her feet against the hard floor. "Yes, Joseph Hart, right now!"

Joe snickered. He considered it funny when Quinn got hysterically mad. "I'm just kidding, Q. Give me the phone."

Who was going to pick up on the other line? _It could be my dad. Or my mom._ It was a fifty-fifty shot.

"Hello?"

"Joe. What's going on?"

Mr. Hart.

"Um…I'm still here at the school, but I wanted to know if Quinn can stop by."

"Blondie, short-haired girl, Quinn Fabray?"

Duh, have you heard all of the nonstop conversations your own son has been going on with about the girl? Wake up and smell the coffee!

"Yes."

"Sure, but not long."

"Thanks."

Well, that was the confirmation Joe was waiting for.

"He said yes." Quinn replied with one nod. "Hopefully, you'll like my parents as much as they like you."

"I hope so, too…"

* * *

Table set. Messes cleaned in all rooms. Dressers and shelves dusted. Flowers in vases on the coffee table in front of the soft, green couch. Everything set right.

Cleaned house made to be welcoming and clean: check.

Dreadlocks tied in a ponytail: check.

Maroon V-neck with the cross necklace swaying over it: check.

Mother cooking something satisfying in the kitchen: check.

Memory of his father's voice over the phone cleared: …

What was he going to think of her? What was she going to say to her? What was he going to do to her after hearing all the things she'll say to him? Joe wanted everything to be right between his father and Quinn. He wanted him to like her. He wanted him to be friends with her. He wanted him to make her feel welcome.

"Dad!" The innocent Teen Jesus called from downstairs. He really wish it didn't take him twenty minutes just to floss his teeth. "Dad!"

His wails annoyed his father. Every attempt he had to ignore him, the boy would get even louder. Each time he would get louder, he would floss a little quicker and hurt his gums. And each time he hurt his gums, they would leave an excruciating burn in his mouth.

Even with the oven on and the faucet dripping with warm water, that boy's mother could hear, too.

"Joseph, calm down!" she called from the island where she was preparing the rest of the dinner. "You know your dad has been paying too close attention to his dental care after those cavities he had."

God, those were some painful cavities. Mr. Hart thought his teeth were going to get yanked off.

But like his mother told him, he's been taking care of his teeth ever since then. Why does he have to be waited on? Why are things going along so slowly and anxiously?

Why the hell was there more sweat rolling from this boy's forehead?

Why the hell was that man still up there?

Why the hell don't the flowers on the table look right over there?

"I just don't want a bad impression on Quinn, mom. She deserves everything just right."

Chop, goes the knife cutting the basil. Pop-pop-pop, goes the soup bubbling in the pot. Hiss, goes the water falling into the sink.

"I understand, Joe. Trust me, we're trying our very best. Just don't get too…well…pushy with it. Alright, hon?"

Joe scoffed. "When am I too pushy?"

The woman guffawed at Joe's sass and humor. Oh, his sass and humor. That has got to be the funniest she's seen in him.

Only about five more minutes. Quinn was going to arrive in five more minutes. She was going to come in contact with Mr. and Mrs. Hart in five minutes. Five minutes seemed like three seconds, though. They were going to pass in any moment.

"The turkey smells really good, Mom." The young boy pranced over to observe everything cooking, boiling, and baking in the kitchen.

Veggies were in one pot, soup in another. Turkey in the oven, burning in the oven heat. Basil being cut on the countertop. Spices on the counter, and scraps of food and waste in a bag next to them. Things were almost together at the moment.

"Well, you wanted this to be special. After all, this is your first guest from school."

Joe looked down at his feet and blushed. "And my first real crush," he mumbled.

Mrs. Hart gushed. "Exactly."

Footsteps broke the silence. Thank God, the man was finally down.

"What did you want, son? I kept hurting myself up there."

Joe dragged him further in the kitchen by his buff arm, bringing the two parents together. "Okay, she'll be over here in a couple of minutes. Maybe even sooner. I want you guys to please…please make a great impression on her. It's really important to me."

The boy pleaded. He didn't want one shred of embarrassment or awkwardness coming from anyone. He wanted this just right.

"Why? You think we're gonna embarrass you?"

"I never said you'd embarrass me." But boy, he sure meant it. "I'm just saying that I want this to be special. Quinn is a special girl. I want this to be perfect for her."

Above their son's head, the parents were both gazing at each other, the mother forcing the red on her cheeks. How much redder could she get?

She spends the most time with Joe for the past fifteen years, and they'd always bond and talk about life issues. When Joe's mother was about 19 years old, she had written a book similar to the Joseph and Mary story. She remembered almost every word she wrote in such literature.

_I am a cloud. I am a heavy, bottled cloud. I am a cloud with so many emotions, thoughts, and ideas. God gave me the blessing to feel. To feel physically. To feel mentally. To feel emotionally. I have so many emotional feelings. Gosh, there were a lot of things that God blessed me to feel. I feel pain, as well as comfort. I feel life, as well as death. I feel sadness, as well as joy._

_I feel hatred…as well as love._

_Love is just bittersweet. There are many kinds, too. Love for your community, in general. Love for animals and plants. Love for family and friends. Most of all, there's that love for that one person you want to spend the rest of your life with. The one you cherish every day. The one you trust. The one that is loyal and faithful._

_Only time could tell. Only time can tell whether it's right for it to happen. Time can tell if I can shower down all of my love emotions, sharing each and every raindrop with that lucky somebody. Right now, nothing would be better than to just live my life and make all possible achievements. One day, it will happen, though. I can express to that lucky someone what God gave me from the start: a heavy, wonderful shower of love._

Mrs. Hart would share that book to Joe when he first hit eight years old. Ever since, that's what he believed in and always looked up to.

Knock, knock!

"Oh, they're here."

The young dreadlocked boy darted to the door past his father. He folded his arms and stared at him. A six-year-old waking up to see Santa Claus wasn't as energetic as he was.

His wife continued preparing the food, meeting eyes with the man. His eyebrows stiffened on his forehead at the sight of his own son. "He's just happy to see Quinn, that's all."

The man shrugged, considering his wife's comment as an understatement. "A little too happy, I suppose," he mumbled, heading towards the dinner table and putting the plates on the red table mats.

Joe hoped that he didn't get too excited. He and Quinn would be seated with Quinn's mother and Joe's parents in less than twenty minutes. Anything would be better than to have another eruption in front of company.

_Well, here we go._ He was finally faced with the front door. Quinn and Judy were behind it, waiting on someone to answer. Teen Jesus was quite nervous. This was his first time having a student from school and her mother over to their house.

What were they going to think of his mom and dad? Were Mr. and Mrs. Hart going to embarrass him? Hopefully not.

Joe would want a repeat of what happened at the deacon's ball four years ago. Joe's dad awfully drunk and dancing like an idiot. Joe's mother sharing every baby moment of Joe's he had up until he reached three years old. The sight of them two kissing and making out in the hallway of the church. Joe assumed that his mother was drunk then as well, because she had left her purse and undergarments in the ladies' bathroom.

The dreadlocked boy didn't have a slight idea why they would do that anyway…in the church. _So degrading._

The deacon got really upset and kicked them out, almost leaving poor Joe by himself. A drunk Mr. Hart had to drag himself back in to find him, straight before security had to pull him out.

Good thing it wasn't going to happen this time. No wine, or even beer for that matter. They weren't in a church where they could be humiliated by tons of people. Just a family dinner with two extra guests. Perfect.

The green wood door opened after freeing a couple front door locks that kept it closed. The only thing separating the two teens was the protective glass door. They beamed at each other. Judy grinned at the boy moments before he opened it all the way.

"Quinn!"

"Joe!"

The two shared a sweet hug. She was pretty warm. It must've been the pink cropped sweater she had on. He was so happy to meet up with her; he didn't want to let go of her. He hugged a little tighter, swaying the both of them. Quinn's arms wrapped around Joe from under his arms and to his back. She was able to clench her hands together.

The girl had a wide smile on her face. "Oh Joe, I'm glad to see you."

"Same here, Quinn."

Mrs. Hart, still preparing the dinner in the kitchen, looked over her shoulder at the sight of her son with the blonde in pink and white. She could only blush and awe.

Judy greeted Mr. Hart at the table, and then Mrs. Hart in the kitchen. She followed Mrs. Hart's gaze at the two teens sharing a little conversation. "Isn't Joe just a sweetie?"

Mrs. Hart placed her knife down and grabbed the turkey out of the oven. She couldn't stop smiling. "Yes, my son is so adorable, especially with his new friend. He talks about her almost every day with me, and it never stops."

Judy playfully scoffed. "Quinn does the same. They'll come over and study with each other. Sometimes even share phone calls—"

Mrs. Hart gaped and slapped a hand against the woman's shoulder. "Eavesdropping, are we?"

Judy lifted her hands in surrender. "Hey now, Quinn is a talker. Even when I'm washing dishes downstairs, I can still hear her cackle from her bedroom."

Of course, Mrs. Hart wouldn't understand, being that she doesn't have a teenage daughter.

Over in the living room, Teen Jesus and the blonde were seated on the couch, carrying on with their ongoing conversation.

"I thought I would be nervous coming here. I mean, I first saw your dad through the window. He looks like a very tough guy."

Quinn was so right. Right now, he seemed extremely calm. It could take a fly on his shoulder or a leaking faucet just to fire him up.

"I thought I'd be nervous just to have you over."

"Why say that?"

"Mom and dad."

Quinn smirked. "Makes sense."

Joe nodded. "Do you want me to give you a tour before dinner starts?"

"Sure." They both got up and headed through the archway and to the stairs. "Maybe I should've done this for when you were over my house."

Joe did have a little confusion with finding the bathroom while he was there. He didn't complain, though.

"Don't worry about that, Quinn. I was able to find my way around a little in between studying. Besides, guys are supposed to do these things for girls. It's proper etiquette."

Quinn chuckled. "Is this supposed to be a fancy dinner? If it is, I think you forgot your suit."

Joe shot his head down to the clothes he had on and smirked. It wasn't much time until she was going to mention the jeans and V-neck he had on. "No, it's not a fancy dinner. I'm just trying to make you feel welcome. I wanted this whole thing to be special for you and you mother."

The blonde felt so honored. "You're so sweet."

Joe beamed. He held her soft hands, gripping at her small fingers and smoothly stroking her thumb. She was so soft. She was utter perfection. Almost every emotion wanted to come out of Joe's heart and brain towards the blonde. He made him feel more comfortable and at home than ever.

_Just hope by the end of all this, I would've made her feel happier than ever._

He tugged it slightly as he brought her up the stairs to the second floor. Pictures hung up all over the walls. Pink flowers in a turquoise vase sat on a square table between the bathroom door and the closet door. A black rug sat comfortably on the wooden floor.

"Your house looks really nice."

"It took me and my parents almost two hours to clean it all up."

"There sure does seem like a lot of teamwork put into this."

"Yeah, there was."

Joe opened his bedroom door. He didn't have much there. He had a couple of action-movie posters, along with some pictures of religious photos put in frames. His bed was made with white and green covers on it. A white lamp sat on the night table, along with a chest of his old toys and a dresser with all of his clothes.

Quinn released Joe's hand and took a moment to wander around. The Jesus figurines atop of the dresser caught her eye. "Your parents got you these?" she asked, picking up one and playing carefully with it.

"My dad. He got me those when I was nine."

Quinn glared at the tiny doll in her hands. It was white with a brown shall around it and brown sandals on its feet. Quinn silently giggled. The sandals reminded her of when she first met Joe, and he told the whole God Squad about him walking barefoot.

"You really have an excellent father. I don't see your reason for being nervous about me being in contact with him."

"It's gets intimidating, Quinn. He's an intimidating person. There's a reason for me to be nervous."

Quinn smiled. "I don't blame you. My dad was a pretty intimidating person."

"Speaking of which, where is your dad?"

Pause. Russell had been gone for a pretty long time. He didn't talk to Judy much, except for when he needed to call up someone for the plumbing in the old house, or the exterminator to get rid of the roaches in the kitchen. A part of Quinn was pretty glad that he was gone. He denied her after the baby drama from her sophomore year. He threw a major fit at the poor girl, and didn't even bother to show sympathy for her.

On the flipside, Quinn felt bad about it, specifically for two reasons: she missed her old home, and her father by her side. She missed every moment where he'd come in her room and hug her as he read a story to her or wanted to check on her. No more of that. Those memories were dead and gone.

Quinn never really wants to speak of her father anymore. It works her up somehow. It brings back all of the haunting memories of him. Him dancing with her at the father-daughter dance. Him with her and Judy and Disney World. Him sitting beside Judy at Quinn's eighth-grade graduation. He would come up everywhere.

"Um…I can't say."

"Bad timing, right?"

"Yeah, kinda."

Joe walked from one side of the room to the other, leaning against the wall. "So, how do you like it so far?"

"Not your typical American boy's bedroom, but it's still nice."

"I meant in general."

"Honestly, I love it. I just—Joe, I love it."

"You'll like it even better later on. My parents would love to get to know you."

"Same with my mom. She'll get to meet with the most sweetest guy in the world."

The thought of her words made Joe blush. They both looked at each other with sparkling eyes. They leaned in on each other, about to kiss on the lips for another time. Once they touch, they continued going at it until—

"Quinn! Joe! We're ready for you down here!"

Reluctantly, Joe pulled back and opened his bedroom door. "Coming, mom!"

Quinn giggled at him. He seemed pretty funny when he was frustrated.

"Sorry about that."

"It's okay. It's pleasing, if you ask me."

"What, my mom interrupting us?"

"That, and your frustration."

Joe gritted his teeth at the laughing blonde before her. "Silly girl."

* * *

"So when did you move here?"

Judy and Quinn were accompanied by Joe and his parents, already blessed the food and passing it around. The adults spoke among each other while Quinn and Joe had their own little chat.

"Late January," Mr. Hart replied. "It took a lot to find this place. We first lived in a city nearby Lima, so we didn't have to go far."

Judy nodded, taking a bite into her vegetables. "You made the right choice then. This neighborhood sure does have a lot of neat houses from what I hear."

"Yeah, we sure didn't want Joe in that terrible apartment near the Matthew Phillips High School. Did you hear about the kidnapping down there?" Mrs. Hart couldn't believe all the things she heard about that neighborhood. She was so blessed she found McKinley before Joe even considered setting his books in one of Matthew Phillips' lockers.

"Yes, that poor junior girl got kidnapped by that thirty-something-year-old man and got raped," Judy replied in remorse.

Mr. Hart shook his head. "She's lucky she didn't get killed."

"Exactly! This is the kind of thing I told Quinn in her freshman year of high school: never catch yourself in the middle of bad surroundings. This world is definitely not a safe place. There's so much gun violence, molesting, robbery, suicide—we can't win."

Judy put her fork down, grabbed the glass of water, and turned to Mrs. Hart. God, she was so worried about those people. _If only the parents of that school would try and do something about it._ "Maria, your son is utterly blessed. Now imagine if you let him go there, and he got shot by a gang of evil young men—"

"Oh God, stop!"

Mrs. Hart was on the urge of crying about that. Joe was a blessed young man. McKinley was his only and safest school he's ever been to. She still couldn't get it through her head on why Joe wanted to be at Matthew Phillips in the first place. It was just…terrible.

Mr. Hart, Judy, and Joe were all looking up at the worried woman. "I…I can't even think about that, especially now."

Joe was getting worried. Not because anyone was embarrassing him, but because of his mother. Sure, Matthew Phillips wasn't the best school, and it wasn't located in the best neighborhood. But he just wanted to save the people over there. He never thought about how it would affect his own mother.

Mr. Hart was sitting by her, rubbing her shoulder. "I know, hon. Don't cry."

"I'm not, I'm not." Mrs. Hart took a breath and gulped down some water, trying to calm down. "I'm not going to. I just can't stand the idea of…"

Ideas about Joe and Matthew Phillips swam through her mind. He would've been walking through the double doorways, heading off to his locker. At a second, some tough senior would push him to the side, making fun of him and taking his lunch money. Then they'd bully him. Humiliate him for his Christian beliefs. Poking fun at his dreads. One of those evil kids would then tell him to just die, and at a split second, a bullet would fly through his head once he stepped outside.

A bullet. A slick little bullet. Other than hell, bullets were the other thing that Joe was afraid of. He didn't even realize that there was gun violence in that neighborhood until his father drove by to take a look at the area. He couldn't risk his own life.

"Joseph, look at me."

The innocent dreadlocked boy shot his eyes up to his anxious mother. "Don't…" The woman held her hands up. God, she hoped Joe would get this through his head. "I'm telling you right now, please don't get yourself into any trouble. No talking to strangers. No being friends with the wrong people. No getting exposed to the wrong things. Do you understand me?"

Her voice cracked a couple of times. God only knew what could possibly happen at McKinley. For all the Hart family knew, there could be a drug addict or even a son or daughter of a previously-arrested man at that school. They knew nothing.

Joe looked dead into her eyes. She was seconds close to breaking out crying. He didn't want to disappoint her. She meant everything to her. Besides, he sticks by his faith completely, so he's been very cautious since he's come out into the world. "Yes, Mom," he assured her with a slight nod.

Judy put her finger up at Joe. "You listen to your mother, okay? You've been out of the homeschooled phase for two months. There's a world of pain you haven't seen yet, and trust me, you won't like it."

Joe nodded again, and turned his direction to his mother. He wasn't really listening to the conversation afterwards; he was too focused on how she felt when Matthew Phillips, homicide, rape, and other evil events came up. Good thing he decided to come to William McKinley instead.

He felt a hand clench against his. Quinn understood his worry. She saw him innocently look at his mother, and heard the cracking of his mother's voice. Things were getting tense at the moment. Quinn wanted Joe to feel comfortable again.

Joe glanced up at the blonde and smiled. He felt a little better, being that without McKinley, he wouldn't be sitting beside Quinn and making her his girlfriend.

"Besides, McKinley is twelve times better than that place anyway." Judy was still discussing the schools with Joe's parents. "I mean, at least they've been on the news for good achievements. For instance, the Cheerios, which my darling daughter has officially returned to, have been winning championships for the past few years."

Quinn blushed when her mother mentioned the Cheerios. She was proud to be back on the squad and making something good out of herself.

Mr. Hart looked up and took a bite into some turkey. "Cheerios? What, is that like a Breakfast club or something?"

Joe rolled his eyes. _Not the freakin' cereal, Dad!_

"The school's cheerleading squad," Judy corrected him. "I know, they're accomplishing so much. Quinn would go on and off the Cheerios for some time. Now it's official: my baby girl's back and about to win another championship for the team."

Mrs. Hart smiled. "Nice. So Quinn, what made you want to come back on the team?"

Quinn proudly sat up in her seat, dropping her spoon in the soup. "Well, two of my friends are on the Cheerios, and I miss hanging out with them. It's been, like forever." Everyone around her nodded. "The girls haven't won a competition in a while ever since the cannon issue—"

"Cannon?" Mr. Hart spoke up in shock.

"Yeah, the coach planned this stupid, dangerous stunt and wanted one of the girls to do it. So like her," Judy scoffed.

Quinn nodded in agreement. She was glad Brittany was no longer shaken by that idea. "And, um…Joe wanted to see me after he learned that I used to be on the squad."

Mrs. Hart slightly clapped. "Honey, that's so sweet."

Joe smiled. "Yeah, I just wanted to see her cheer on the football team that Sam Evans is on, and to see all the moves she can do. I'll bet you she's really good."

"Oh, I'm not that good."

"Yes, you are, Quinn. I know you will be, at least."

Judy ate some more vegetables, grinning from ear to ear. "Let me just say that I love these two's friendship. I swear, they go on about each other. I mean, Quinn tells me each night after dinner about their moments together. Studying. Lunch. Second period. After school. Their little trip to the restaurant. Their kiss."

Silence. Joe was feeling the need to throw up. He could feel his father frowning up next to him in confusion. Mrs. Hart looked away from all of this, and continued to eat her soup.

Unfortunately, she couldn't escape the tension that was brought up.

"Wait, their what?" Mr. Hart spoke up to Judy. He turned to Quinn near the other end of the table, and then at Joe. The two teens were both nervously looking back at him. They immediately released their hands and bit their lips.

God damn it.

"You know what? Joe, go upstairs and get your guitar. Maybe we can listen to a little music while we're here—"

"No, no, no." Mr. Hart was still looking at his nervous son. He couldn't get what he heard in his head. "Joe, tell me what she just said."

Joe stuttered. All of this came unexpectedly. He didn't have the slightest idea on what to say. "I don't remember what she means by—"

"I didn't ask you to lie to me, young man. I asked you to tell me what she just said."

Quinn felt the awkwardness come in. Feeling that she was somewhat in the middle of this, she stood up and turned her head to Mr. Hart. "May I be excused to the bathroom. I kinda had a few liquids lately—"

Mr. Hart beckoned Quinn back to her seat. "No, stay. It'll be interesting."

Joe looked up and the blonde, and she looked back. She felt bad for him. She sat back down sheepishly and bit her lip as she wiped her mouth with the napkin on the table. The boy sighed. Everyone was waiting for an answer. He had no other choice.

"I…I sorta kissed Quinn after our outing the other day."

Mr. Hart shifted to the left towards his son. "You did what?"

"Actually, twice before."

Mr. Hart shook his head. "Lying again, Joe?"

Judy looked around. "I thought the both of you knew already."

"Mom did…after she spotted the gloss on my face."

Mr. Hart turned to his right where his wife was sitting. "So, you never told me this, either?"

Mrs. Hart shrugged. "I thought Joe was going to tell you. He wasn't ready yet."

"So, you basically hid this from me all this time?"

Joe's head sunk. He couldn't believe this was happening.

No one spoke after Mr. Hart's question. He shook his head, continuing to eat his food. His ears were blowing out steam. He couldn't even look neither Joe nor Quinn in the eye anymore.

Quinn looked up at her mother across from her. She seemed to be embarrassed by herself. "_Mom…_" The blonde spoken up to her mother, without the Hart family hearing anything she has to say. "_Maybe next time, we shouldn't mention what happens in the house._"

Judy had to agree. After hearing Mr. Hart go off, it made her feel a little uncomfortable. "_Promise._"


	18. Chapter 17

Chapter Seventeen

"Quinn, Joe, let me take your dishes, and I'll get the dessert from the kitchen, okay?"

Neither one of them said a thing. They were quiet and looking down at the plates full of food stains that sat for over twenty minutes.

Mrs. Hart shook her head. She thought of the events that happened at the table. Judy meant well, but she took it a little too far with the details. As far as Mr. Hart, Joe's mother couldn't even believe him.

Joe felt so bad. His father couldn't even stay behind to eat the rest of his dinner with the family and guests. Joe wondered what he was thinking of right now. He had somewhat of a thought that his dad was going to punish him somehow. Oh, how the belt used to hurt when he was seven.

His mother took both of their plates and bowls, stacking them in neat piles, and carrying them to the kitchen. Judy offered to help.

"Maria, I am so…so sorry. I didn't know that he wasn't told about all this—"

"I just don't understand him when it comes to Joe and Christian beliefs. I just want my boy to live life. For him to get mad over disobeying him behind his back just for something ridiculous…I just don't know."

"I'm on your side on this, just to let you know," Judy replied. She placed the dishes in the sink and poured dish soap on them. "Quinn has been in trouble when it came to relationships, and I feel really bad for her. Now she finds someone she cares about, and more trouble comes along."

"I feel bad for her, too. She seems like a very kind and wonderful young lady. After you told me about what happened to her, I just couldn't stop thinking about it. I would've prayed for her back then."

Judy nodded. Poor Quinn must feel humiliated after the moments of tension going on in the room between her boyfriend and his father. Now it was only a matter of time until Mr. Hart would come out of his room to rant.

"God only knows what he's thinking about the two of them up there," Judy said, glaring at the ceiling.

"Whatever he's thinking, it would probably upset Joe dearly, and I won't allow it."

Joe, still seated at the dinner table, looked ahead at his mother. He heard everything she and Judy were talking about.

_Whatever he's thinking, it would probably upset Joe dearly…_

He thought about Mr. Hart breaking the two of them up. He'd probably never see Quinn again. He wasn't expecting this at all when the Fabray family came over. All he wanted was for Quinn and Judy to enjoy themselves and get to know his family, especially his dad. Turns out that they know _more_ than Joe's dad did.

Not only he was embarrassed by his father, but he was embarrassed with himself. He should've said something before they came over. Why the hell was he so kept to himself then? He felt like slapping his forehead and banging his head up against the wall. He felt so stupid.

Quinn turned to him. She felt so bad for him. It must've been hard for him to confess that to his own dad. She knows from experience. Look at how her own father left. "Joe…"

Disappointed, Joe turned to his worried girlfriend. She placed a hand on the boy's shoulder. "Look, I know your dad is…pretty upset right now. Maybe it could've been a good idea to—"

"Yeah, I know," Joe replied. "I just wasn't sure on how I was gonna do it."

Quinn gripped his shoulder a little tighter. She wasn't sure if he knew she had her back. After what all she heard and seen, she could just remember the time Russell yelled at her. "I wasn't either. My sophomore year was a living hell. Trust me, I know."

Joe nodded. Poor girl and her father having to learn about her baby. "At least we both have another thing in common, huh?"

Quinn nodded, but didn't fully smile. The sparkly, pretty smile didn't come back. She was too busy thinking about his dad. She assumed that he hated her by now. She didn't want him to hate him. She thought everything was going on swiftly…of course until her mother had to blow it.

Judy and Mrs. Hart returned to the table with plates and a chocolate cake. They saw that neither of their kids were lightened up, even with the dessert brought out. "Alright, maybe this'll cheer you guys up a little bit," Mrs. Hart spoke up, sitting back in her seat. She faced Joe and Quinn, who both looked innocently ashamed.

Although Joe felt that the dessert was quite satisfying, he wasn't really hungry anymore. He felt sick. Like his own father spread on a disease in the room when he was still down here. Joe felt guilty for all of this.

"Actually, Mom, I appreciate all of this. Really, I do. But…can I go up to my room for just a minute? I'm not as hungry right now."

Poor, sweet Joseph.

His mother allowed him to leave, even though she felt a little let down about him. He just couldn't take this after what just happened. Maybe he needed to throw up. Maybe he needed to rest it out. Maybe he needed to put cold water on his face.

Quinn watched him walk upstairs. She felt half responsible. Well, her mom at least. She can't let him go. She can't let his dad let him go.

"Can I be excused too?" the blonde spoke up.

"Absolutely."

The blonde skipped up to the second floor to Joe's bedroom, leaving the two mothers in the dining room by themselves.

_I shouldn't have said anything to Mom. I shouldn't have said anything to Mom._ She repeated the same thought as she made it up the stairs. Her mom likes to brag about her daughter all the time. She kind of had that coming about her and Joe's first kiss.

Quinn felt like yelling at her mom for saying that. But that would just cause another scene. Plus, she'd embarrass herself in front of Joe and his family. They were so generous in inviting her over.

In another sense, this night was pretty much embarrassing already. It wouldn't make much of a difference if it were worse.

A couple of sighs could be heard from the dreadlocked boy's open bedroom door. He had a pretty disappointing day. Quinn needed to bring him back to life somehow.

"Joe, can I come in?"

The girl's neck craned around the open door, seeking Joe by his bedroom window. He sat on the floor by the window ledge, looking through the glass and trying to get thoughts of tonight out of his head.

Quinn stepped back in his room, closing the door slightly and kneeling down next to the boy. "I understand how you feel right now."

He said nothing. Although he enjoyed the blonde's presence, it wasn't a very good distraction.

"Is there anything I can do to help you?"

Joe shrugged. "I really don't know. Could you…could you possibly talk sense into my dad somehow?"

Quinn choked back a laugh. It was true, though. He didn't understand young love anyway. "No, I can't. I wish he'd understand us, though. I wish he'd understand what we have." Joe nodded. He came to the realization that his father didn't understand him or what he has with anyone.

"Why doesn't he, by the way?"

"Something to do with…waiting until I'm older and finding the right girl for me."

"Didn't you already?"

Joe smirked. "Yeah, I kinda did."

Quinn shifted her weight towards him and held his loose hands. "You know how your mom still loves him, and now they have a love story with each other? That's the same with us. They've probably started later on their life. No matter when it happened with them, they still cared for each other and it never stopped. That's what you need to teach your dad."

"Quinn, we're teenagers. Dad would want us to start when we're in our twenties or something. You'll make it there before I will."

"That's not the point. And don't you remember when you asked me to the V-Day party? You asked me, should age matter when I asked you if you should go with someone your own age. You remember asking me that?"

"I…I guess so."

"There's no limits to love, Joe, nor right or wrong answers to it; however, there are unexpected ways you feel about a person."

Teen Jesus sure did remember all of the physically, unexpected things going on with his body. The sweat dripping from his forehead to his face. The stuttering when Quinn always spoke up. The adrenaline rushes when Quinn laid a hand on the boy. The…the constant erections he would have.

He…he suspected that this was the answer from God that he was looking for. There _were_ no right or wrong answers to love. There _were_ no limits. He could do whatever he wanted with her. He could say whatever he wanted to her. He could love her anyway he wanted.

Before he could respond, the blonde reached forward, clenching onto his tense shoulders, and placed a peck on the boy's cheek. It sent sparks and shivers down the boy's back.

"You feel better now?"

Crap. Here we go again. "I…I, yeah."

They looked back at each other. Both of their eyes twinkled. They sat by the window, which displayed the house buildings in the dark, calm night sky. The moon was out, putting a spotlight over Quinn's head. It made her look like a star indeed.

Joe was seconds close to stroking her hair back behind her ears, holding a hot pink and silver pair of earrings that dangled down halfway to her cheeks. She was so inspiring to him. She was literally the biggest distraction of his life. Every sound around him was audible. Every visible person or object around him seemed blurred. All he could see was the pretty blonde sitting before him. All her could hear was his and Quinn's breathing.

He started leaning on the girl. He wanted her to kiss him again. He wanted her to hug him. He wanted her to never let her go.

Quinn literally drowned in Joe's presence. She wanted nothing more than to sit right there with the dreadlocked boy and share all of her love with him.

They leaned in closer. Their hands touched, but neither noticed. They were too busy drowning in the sparkles in each other's eyes.

"Hey, off! Get up, now. Off."

Joe groaned. His father came in out of nowhere, taking his arm away from Quinn's, and dragging him up on his feet. God, why did he have to have such a fucking hard grip? A red mark would soon be left on the boy's wrist.

Quinn hesitated. She followed after Mr. Hart and his son downstairs into the living room. Mrs. Hart and Mrs. Fabray were already down there, seated on the couch.

Joe almost slipped when his dad kept pulling him towards the room. "Ow, Dad. Stop!"

Mrs. Hart scoffed and turned to her concerned husband. "Why do you have to do this to him like that? This whole thing is ridiculous!"

Mr. Hart straightened his shirt. "I'll tell you what's ridiculous: hell freezing over, and Satan being sent to heaven." The man scoffed and shook his head at the woman. "Unbelievable. Unbelievable."

Joe and Quinn were separated by Mr. Hart standing in between them. Joe searched around the tall mad man to find his blonde girlfriend on the other side. He held back a chuckle as he saw Quinn looking at the back of Mr. Hart's head with a disgusted scoff. The man's hair was put in a ponytail, and it reached down a little past his neck.

Quinn found Joe's eyes. Her little puppy eyes wanted him to sit by her and not feel scared and uncomfortable. _Joe, help me! Come save me!_

She literally called for him with her eyes and her disappointed facial expression. Unfortunately, Joe's dad pushed him towards the lounge chair on the other side of the room. Quinn just wanted to run over and drag Joe to her side. He wanted to feel right. Nothing felt right at the moment, especially with Mr. Hart starting up a confrontation with everyone about nothing.

"Now that we're all here, I want to introduce you to the story of two of our ancestors, Timothy and Elizabeth Sanders."

His wife folded her arms. "_This is stupid_," she mumbled to Judy right next to her.

Mr. Hart overheard the woman as he held onto their ancestors' old journal. "Actually, this is history." He opened the book to the first yellow, worn-out page. "March 29th, 1803, age twenty-two. I met him by the old coffee shop where I worked part-time."

Mrs. Hart couldn't tolerate this anymore. She stood up defensively out of her seat and walked up to her husband. "Are you out of your mind? Our son is not ten years old. He can be with Quinn if he wants to."

"Not under my roof!"

Judy looked at her daughter, then Joe, and then at the arguing couple. "I agree on the fact that there can be some complications in a teenage relationship. But these two aren't doing anything wrong. Knowing Joe, he wouldn't do anything worse."

Mrs. Hart clapped her hands together. "Exactly."

The dreadlocked boy couldn't watch his mom and dad bicker. He looked over at Quinn. Her fingers were moving simultaneously through each other. The poor girl couldn't watch this, either. There needs to be a stop to all of this.

"Dad, why are we doing this? Quinn is a nice girl. She really is."

"I'm not worried about Quinn right now, Joe. I'm worried about you. You've only been out of this house for two months, and there's too much you're going to be exposed to. I'm not looking forward to you getting any diseases or having any babies while you're still under my roof. Besides, Jesus Christ wants us to be pure. Why do you think we got you baptized when you were three?"

Mrs. Hart shook her husband's arm. "Joe is an intelligent boy. He would never go out and do…well, that much with another girl. He's learned plenty from us and his faith. You understand, right?"

"Yeah, Dad. I would never do that to upset you or God. You already know."

"How would I know that? With all of these students at your new school teaching you negative life aspects, you'll be caught at the dead end in no time."

"M…Mr. Hart…" The blonde stood up out of her seat, innocently raising her right hand halfway. "I am so sorry. You're right. Joe doesn't need negativity in his life, but it's not coming from me. I promise you."

"Oh, I know you're sorry, Quinn. You know darn well you're sorry."

Judy almost said something. She wanted to defend her daughter. She really did. She really wish she could.

"You know what? I'm sorry, too. I'm pretty sure you're as sweet as everyone's telling you you are. I trust you. You have nothing to worry about."

Well, that was a relief. Judy could finally sit back and watch this end. Quinn straightened her dress and sat back down. Hopefully, there was a good chance that Joe was off the hook as well.

Unfortunately, there wasn't.

"Now for you again."

Mr. Hart had just turned to his son, who stood by his mother and looked his father in the eye.

"I don't want our newfound friendship with the Fabrays to break up. That's why I'm putting a limit on you, Joe."

"Limit?"

Mrs. Hart moaned. "Hon, what are you talking about?"

"Hugs only. No sexual contact."

"Dad?"

"Really, hon?"

"Yes. They can still have their friendship and whatever else they have, but I can't face where all of this is going."

Quinn gaped. "Mr. Hart, I thought you said you trusted me."

"I do trust you, Quinn. You've got to understand, though; there are one-way and two-way streets when it comes to sexual relationships. Kissing obviously has a two-way street: you either get sick, or you end up having sex. Now sex, that has a two-way street as well: you either get a disease, or you get pregnant. And pregnancy leads to the only one-way street: a baby. You both are extremely young to be carrying on like that. I'm not having a grandson or granddaughter while the two of you are still in high school."

"I'm going to college, though."

"Yeah, but will Joe be going to college? Not until he finishes this year, junior year, and senior year, he won't."

Quinn _did_ take that into consideration. Joe was only so young. And she's graduating in less than a few months. She'll be off in another city, another state, another school, another neighborhood—everything will change in a matter of seconds.

Joe hated the fact that they brought up college. His first and only girlfriend would be going away from him. He'd be alone here in Lima, Ohio, succeeding his last couple of years in high school.

And with his dad putting strict rules on him about how to run his own relationship made it worst. He would lose a piece of Quinn Fabray every day, causing some sort of depression days, weeks—maybe even a month before she goes away. Plus, he had so many guilty cravings. Ugh, why did he crave her so much? His mind would go crazy.

"Um…Quinnie darling." The mother of the precious blonde spoke up in response to everything discussed moments before. "This may be a good opportunity to practice avoiding more dangers, right?"

"Thank you."

The blonde gaped once more. "Mom, this is Joe. He'd never—"

"I understand that, but look what happened with you and Puck two years ago. Whether Joe is cautious or not, I don't want a repeat of that."

Oh.

Joe envisioned every detail Quinn told him about that horrible night her virginity was taken away from her. Quinn was lucky she made it out of there alive.

Mr. Hart, finally satisfied with a consensus, clapped his hands together and looked around the room at the people surrounding him. "Okay, we're all fine with that? Any objections?"

As much as he wanted to say something, Joe just kept his mouth shut. He faced his mother and leaned on her shoulder. At least she always had his back.

Mrs. Hart, feeling ashamed and awkward, was next to start another topic. "Alright then. I think we need a break from all of this craziness tonight. What about a game?"

"Sure. That'll be fun. Right, kids?"

Neither Joe nor Quinn spoke up. They both nodded and smiled convincingly to their parents. Then their eyes attracted each other's. They were so separate. They felt so cold. They felt so upset. They felt so alone.

They wanted to respect their parents and go with the no kissing rule they came up with. But how could they avoid kissing each other when they both extremely loved each other and wanted to fly right into each other's arms? How could they possibly avoid kissing when they both find each other really attractive?

Joe especially felt like this was the most disturbing guest gathering they ever had. The only thing that would make it better was to have Quinn be next to him, her head resting on his shoulder and one of her hands crossed with his. He didn't want to feel so chilly and alone. He wanted to be warm and by his girlfriend.

Unfortunately, when the father of the house was around, he didn't have much luck in that.

"Well, that was a…nice evening, wasn't it?"

Quinn wished she could say the same. Judy seemed to be the only person who thought the night turned out to be somewhat of a success. As for Quinn, Joe, and Joe's parents, it was pretty much an epic fail.

Judy and Mrs. Hart shook hands with each other and shared a friendly hug. "Well, we got something in progress, I'll agree," Mrs. Hart replied. "I hope your daughter enjoyed being over here with Joe. He was really ecstatic to see her."

"I know. He's a little ball of sunshine."

Quinn blushed. She looked around for the dreadlocked boy, but he was nowhere to be seen. He was probably still recovering from that dreadful confrontation from about an hour ago.

"Well, I hope you and Miss Quinn Fabray get to come over and see us again soon."

"I hope so, too. I'm so glad I got a chance to come over here and meet you two." Judy turned to her patiently-waiting daughter standing beside her. "Come on, Quinn. We're going now."

The blonde followed her mother out the door. The outside air immediately sent shivers through her body. The wind blew her short, blonde locks any which way. It was so refreshing. The tension from earlier made her feel trapped in a heated area, and the wind was definitely something she needed to recover from it.

Quinn was headed out the door and to the steps, when a hand reached out to her wrist. It was almost firm, but soft.

Joe had come from his bedroom, noticing that Quinn was headed to the car and back home. He didn't want her to leave. He wanted her to stay with him. He wanted to love her, and just keep her to himself.

It was pretty unfortunate for selfish little Joe, because Quinn's mother was waiting on her, and Mr. Hart would keep his wolf eyes glued on them at any moment.

The blonde jumped a little when she felt Joe's hand grip. "Joe…"

Quinn's voice was so soft and sweet. Joe wanted to kiss her really bad. He wanted to tell her how much he loved her. She was so sweet. He owed it to her since his dad pretty much ruined the night for the both of them. He tried coming up with something to say to her. He had nothing. What was he going to say?

Her mother was waiting for her at the car. He didn't want to hold them up.

Instead, the dreadlocked boy locked his eyes with Quinn's, opening his mouth and letting Quinn go. "Goodbye, Quinn."

Quinn couldn't resist. She couldn't leave him. She wanted to kiss him. She knew she couldn't, though, because the adults would be watching, and they'd get caught.

The blonde stepped into Joe, wrapping her sweet arms around him. Joe hugged the girl back, tightening his arms around her. They felt each other's breathing. They felt so comfortable at that point. They were so close, and they didn't want to let go.

To Joe, this was almost like Quinn was leaving to college right now. This was equivalent to the last day Quinn will ever be at McKinley as a student. He was close to crying, but he chose not to. He didn't want to sound to clingy around the girl. He hugged a little softer, but still held on to Quinn, rubbing her back and wishing her a safe and silent night.

Quinn didn't want to let go, either. This was how it's going to be when she graduates out of McKinley and takes the plane to New Haven, Connecticut. Joe was so wonderful to her. How could she ever let go and leave him behind? She couldn't. She wanted to stay and let him hug her for the rest of the night.

Her eyes suddenly open. Mrs. Hart is watching the two with a remorseful smile. She was so happy to see the two of them together. However, Mr. Hart was a very paranoid guy. He had just come to the door, watching Quinn and Joe hug themselves out.

Ugh, Quinn was getting sick and tired of that man.

She was seconds close to placing a kiss on Joe's cheek. Damn it, she was so close! Well, rules are rules. Plus, that would cause something to be destroyed in her and Joe's relationship.

Quinn shook the dreadlocked boy by his arms and stepped away. Of course, she loved him, but she secretly couldn't stand his father observing. She just skipped to her mother's car and sat in the passenger's seat.

Joe stood on the porch for the last few seconds he saw Judy's car drive around the corner. Now he was feeling alone again.

Oh, the agony.

He stepped back in the house and headed towards the stairway. His mother called to him. "Joe, do you need any help with extra homework?"

Joe couldn't think about anything else other than Quinn. She took over his brain. It made him not want to think straight on anything else. "No, I finished it all." He sounded unenthusiastic, mainly due to how the night went. He needed to sleep it off. "I'm going to go to bed right now."

He dragged himself up the stairs and to his bedroom to gather his pajamas and toiletries. When he left, Mrs. Hart faced her husband, her hands on her hips and a stern look on her face. "I don't believe you. You can be so into your own little world, aren't you?"

"I was trying to protect our son. Is that a bad thing?"

"You embarrassed him in front of his girlfriend on the night that he wanted it to be special. Of course it's a bad thing!"

"Hey, I didn't want to do it, but this is what he gets for not telling me these things."

"Even if you knew beforehand, you'd just make his life a living hell and keep too close of an eye on him at every second like you do now."

"Wouldn't you do that if you were as worried for him as I am?"

"I'm worried for him, I assure you that; but do you really have to be on his case so much that you're practically stalking his life? I know my son, and I know teenagers these days. We were teenagers once. They don't like to be annoyed the way Joe was with you."

"Annoyed? I'm trying to save his life. One day, he'll be caught in the middle of something. When that happens, I'll just look at him with a straight face and continue reading the daily newspaper. You watch."

Mrs. Hart groaned. She couldn't take anymore of this. "Fine. You go ahead and do whatever. It's not like I don't care anyway." She walked towards the staircase and stepped on the bottom stair. "I'm going to check on my son, and see if he's frustrated with you as I am."

Mr. Hart went into the living room and sat on the couch. "Going against me now? Fine then."

* * *

Joe had overheard everything they were talking about moments before he took his shower and got ready for bed. He hated the way they argued. He didn't want them to argue. He didn't want them to argue over Joe's love life. Joe just wanted to have a normal relationship with Quinn. Was that too much to ask?

The dreadlocked boy got down on his knees beside his bed and started to pray. Hopefully after answering his last prayer, God would answer another.

_Father, I come to you in the name of Jesus Christ._

_You've given me everything. I thank you for all that you blessed me with. I appreciate you for giving me a place to live, food to eat, people to talk to, parents to raise me, and a girlfriend that is very kind and truthful._

_I ask you to praise my family with agreement. Praise them with love. Praise them with equality. Praise them with everything. Give them everything they can possibly ask for._

_In Jesus name, I pray. Amen._

"Joseph."

Joe had just heard his mother come in seconds before he ended the prayer. He turned to the woman sitting on the bed and got up off his knees.

"Are you feeling okay?"

"Fine…I guess."

Mrs. Hart started thinking about him and Quinn. They probably felt bad for what happened at dinner. Mr. Hart was right. They should've said something before.

If only Joe wasn't so nervous to tell.

"I just wanted to say that I'm sorry for everything with your dad." Joe nodded. "But you need to understand that these things happen if you don't speak up before the last minute. And on a side note, I totally stand by you. I mean, you're not a bad person. You're just an innocent teenage boy who likes a girl. Nothing big."

Joe agreed. "I heard you talk about me and Matthew Phillips."

Mrs. Hart trembled. "I know. I want you to be safe. Your dad wants you to be safe, too. That's why he's pressuring you. Don't take it the wrong way, okay?"

"I'm trying not to."

"This world is so dangerous, you know that, right? The whole kissing thing. Your dad just wants to be sure nothing bad happens to you or your body at such a young age. Or Quinn's, either. Remember that we as parents still love you, and want to make sure you live your life to the fullest."

Joe took in everything his mother was telling him. He remembered worrying about sex when he first had those erections around Quinn. At first, he worried about it so much. Then as those days with Quinn progressed, he started to care less and less. God, he was so blessed that he and Quinn got anything worst.

The world _is_ dangerous. Homicide, suicide, bullying, cyber bullying, rape. Joe needed to be more alert. He didn't want to lose Quinn, but he didn't want to get hurt, either.

"Thank you, Mom. I love you."

Mrs. Hart grinned. Her poor son had so much to learn. It's a good thing he was listening to his trustworthy parents and making the right decision. "I love you, too, sweetie."

They both hugged each other, swaying every other way, and then letting go. Joe climbed into the bed and buried himself under the covers. Mrs. Hart walked towards his bedroom door and shut the lights off.

Joe stared at the ceiling. Although the face of Quinn Fabray was swimming around in his hallucinations and thoughts, he still thought about his mother's words. He didn't want to lose Quinn, but he didn't want to be in danger. He didn't want her to leave, but he didn't want diseases to come.

Man, did he miss the faith-secured, cautious Joseph Hart from February or what?


	19. Chapter 18

Chapter Eighteen

"God, I love you so much."

"I love you, too."

For a Glee club, there sure were a lot of couples who liked to be flirtatious with each other. Even the not-so-outspoken Mike Chang and Tina Cohen-Chang liked to get their groove on.

New to the Glee club about a couple of weeks ago, Joe had been introduced to the many Glee club members that won Regionals last month. He was in a chair beside wheelchair-bound Artie Abrams. He seemed to be the only other person here who didn't have to worry about sexual interaction with another girl.

At least Joe had someone to bond with to keep his mind off the beautiful blonde.

As for everyone else, it made the dreadlocked boy crave for her about the majority of the time. He turned to his left. The very tall football jock, Finn Hudson was making out with the very short brunette, Rachel Berry. Joe wondered if Rachel ever had any hard time reaching for Finn's lips.

He turned to his right. All he saw were two girls in red Cheerios uniforms, both with very long ponytails, sitting daintily next to each other and kissing. Santana's long, slender legs were atop of Brittany's, her feet past her knees. Brittany was rubbing strawberry-flavored lotion on them while sharing glances with her girlfriend.

Even in front of him, Joe spotted Kurt Hummel and Blaine Anderson flirting and caressing with each other in front of the black piano. Kurt would sometimes fix any one of Blaine's bowties, and Blaine would pinch those porcelain cheeks.

Joe never realized that same-sex couples like Kurt and Blaine, and Brittany and Santana would be that intimate with each other.

Mercedes and Quinn had just walked in the room after moments of primping in the ladies' bathroom. Mercedes sprinted over to her boyfriend in the back row of chairs behind Joe, and Quinn took her seat by the Cheerios. They may be wearing the same outfit like the rest of the cheerleaders in the school, but Joe thought Quinn was one in a million. He really missed her.

"Okay, guys! Time to get started!"

At a split second, everyone took a seat in the rows of chairs near the back of the room.

A man with a brown vest, blue buttoned-down shirt, and curly locks had walked into the room moments after. Will Schuester. He was a pretty nice guy. He wasn't like the other teachers Joe encountered, even the wicked and terrorizing Coach Sylvester.

"I've heard some great Whitney Houston songs from you guys. I can't believe how much work you put into your performances."

Oh crap.

Joe just remembered that he and Quinn were to perform a song. He wasn't sure how much longer he could hold this off. This was Quinn Fabray he was singing with. He could erupt in front of everyone. New Directions members could laugh at him. Even the bossy Santana Lopez would spew her vicious trash talk.

Quinn was sitting at the other side of the room between Brittany and Mike. He couldn't let her down. He needed to do this.

"Alright, so who would like to go next?"

Let's see. Brittany and Santana performed previously, as well as Mercedes, Mike, and Tina. That left Rachel, Finn, Kurt, Blaine, Artie, Sam, Puck, and Quinn. No one raised their hand.

Well, there's no time like the present.

Teen Jesus lifted his hand halfway in the air. "Mr. Schue, may I go next?"

"Sure, give it a go."

Quinn had the reddest expression on her face. She wasn't ready to sing just yet. She was so nervous. The students around her were waiting on Joe to get his guitar and do his performance. God, what was she to do now?

"Joe, did you choose to sing with somebody?"

Oh, thanks a ton, Mr. Schue.

"Um…" Joe looked around. He almost couldn't see Quinn in the back with her hair tied back and some of her golden hair in a side bang. "Quinn. I wanted to sing with Quinn."

Some of the New Directions members awed silently. Others looked back at the blonde. The girl just sat there pale.

"Okay. Quinn, would you like to come on down."

"Mr. Schue," the anxious girl spoke up, eyes still directed to Joe, "may I have a quick second before I go?"

The room was silent. Mr. Schue shrugged in surprise. "Alrighty then."

Quinn got up out of her seat, walking towards Joe and turning him away from the audience. She could almost hear Mercedes and Rachel gossip behind her. "_Joe, I don't think I can do this._"

"_Yes, you can. What's stopping you?_"

"_We didn't have much time to rehearse this or anything. Plus, all the pressure put on us since they all think that we—_"

"_Hey, you know this song more than me, remember? Homeschooled?_"

Damn it. He always had to use the home school excuse to get out of it. Such a clever idea. "_Besides, you were able to sing in front of me and the rest of the audience at Regionals. Only difference now is that there's a shorter audience_."

"_Well, yeah. But—_"

They both heard loud clapping behind them. Whoever it was seemed pretty impatient.

"Enough with the small talk, Fabray! You can do it!" Santana shouted a little reluctantly.

Her girlfriend leaned next to her, staring at the back of Quinn and Joe's heads. "_What if they're not talking? What if they're sharing those lesbian kisses like we do?_"

Santana rolled her eyes and folded her eyes. _Ugh, for the umpteenth fucking time, Brittany, he's not a girl!_ Santana couldn't possibly believe how many times it took to help Brittany get that straight.

Quinn's fingers simultaneously tapped against each other. God, she couldn't control her nerves. There was nothing else she could do. She can't just back out. Everyone was required to do a Whitney Houston song this week. If Quinn decided not to do it, she'd get in trouble by Mr. Schue.

Besides, just look at Joe. She hadn't really said much to him since a few weeks ago when she was invited to the boy's house. Man, Joe's father was so stuck on that first-kiss topic. She wasn't expecting on taking it too far.

"_Everyone has heard you sing at the Valentine's Day party. You sounded amazing. And what about Regionals? You were so confident then. I know you can do it now. Trust me._"

Quinn hesitated and then turned halfway to her fellow Glee club members. They were all waiting on Quinn and Joe to get started on the number. The blonde wasn't really sure if her two Cheerio friends were, though, being that they both were focused on each other's nails and what not.

The music beginning almost made her jump. The electric piano on the other side of the room started playing some soft notes.

God, Quinn's legs wobbled like crazy. She wondered if anyone noticed them since she had her Cheerios skirt on. Butterflies fluttered in the girl's stomach. She tried looking for a target to aim her eyes on. Mr. Schue? Santana and Brittany? The instrument guys? Her uniform? Her white shoes? The floor?

Her eyes then fell on Joe. He had a friendly, playful smirk on his face. Quinn couldn't force her smile away. He looked so cute. She missed him, too. If only she had another moment just to take him to the side and kiss his cheek.

God, she felt like an innocent, blonde, widely popular version of Santana Lopez. One of Sue Sylvester's struggling Cheerios. In love with a best friend. Hiding her love for her, until one Finn Hudson had to blow it for some reason. Why was she hiding her feelings about this boy away from her peers? It's been a month for goodness sakes. Besides, some of the Glee clubbers already had it coming anyway.

Quinn's eyes stood on Joe's for a minute. Then he started strumming his guitar to one of Houston's classics.

"_A few stolen moments is all that we share. You've got your family, and they need you there_."

Joe sounded so sweet and smooth. It's like he knew the song way before he and Quinn looked over it together.

The girl tingled a little more inside just when Joe started to sing the next line.

"_Though I try to resist being last on your list…_"

He insisted on the girl to sing with her. She took a deep breath, looked him in the eye, and joined in along with him. "_But no other man's gonna do…_"

Joe was impressed with her wonderful voice. He tried holding back a smile, but of course failed. Quinn tried hiding her blush, but of course failed as well. The Glee club smirked and murmured at their chemistry.

"_So, I'm saving all my love for you…_"

The dreadlocked boy walked around the blonde, still strumming to his trusty guitar. It was Quinn's turn to sing. She wasn't even sure if she could be able to do it. Joe looked her in the eyes, confident in Quinn making these next few lines.

Well, here goes nothing.

"_It's not very easy_," Quinn sang, with Joe joining in afterwards, "_living all alone_."

"_My friends try and tell me…_"

"_Find a man of your own._"

Quinn felt more comfortable singing the notes with Joe as he strolled around playing his guitar around the choir room.

Mercedes, out of all the New Directions members, seemed to love their performance the most. Brittany laid her head on Santana's shoulder, sweetly listening to the gentle souls of the two God Squad members. Tina and Mike occasionally shared glances with each other as the singing continued. Rachel and Finn shared somewhat awkward looks at each other.

Quinn knew that awkward Rachel Berry look anywhere.

_He's pretty young for you, don't you think?_

The blonde immediately remembered Rachel saying that before Valentine's Day over the phone. Quinn had to admit it; Joe is a young person for someone who's crushing on her really badly. In another sense, though, he's more mature than some of the guys she went out with. Finn—good Lord, the girl didn't want to admit it—had the dance steps of a monkey, and some of the knowledge of a Great Dane. Sam always had to come up with some impression of somebody. Puck sleeps with any girl he can get his hands on.

Joe was totally different. He catches on with everything people teach him, and he's faithful to whoever he's with, whether it's a girl he likes or not.

"_No other woman…_"

"_Is gonna love you more…_"

Quinn nearly saw Mercedes' eyes bug out of her head. Ironically, Quinn liked the strong note Joe let out of his mouth. It made the blonde blush and grin even more. She didn't even notice herself walking around Joe at certain parts of the song. She was too in love.

"_Tonight is the night that I'm feeling alright_," they both sung with harmony. "_We'll be making love the whole night through. So I'm saving all my love… yeah, I'm saving all my lovin'… yeah, I'm saving all my love for you…_"

On that note, Joe was on one knee, still playing the guitar and looking Quinn into her hazel eyes. To Quinn, it looked like he was going to propose to her. God, she remembered Sam Evans around the time Kurt and Finn's parents were getting married. Joe reminded her of Sam at that moment for some odd reason.

Maybe not now, but one day she'll be the lucky one who's watching her man get down on a knee and asking her hand in marriage. It'll happen one day.

The audience erupted in applause. Joe was still on his knee for a couple of seconds after getting up and taking a bow before New Directions. Shyly, Quinn did a little curtsy beside him.

"What an amazing job, you two." Even Mr. Schue enjoyed it as much as the rest of the students did.

The two both grinned at the Glee club director, and then looked each other in the eye again. Joe couldn't believe how proud he was of Quinn for attempting to sing with him after moments of shyness. A part of Quinn was proud of herself as well. She was also happy that Joe was with her. Without him, she'd be standing up there by herself, trembling and worrying.

They both took a seat back in their spots, preparing to watch the next performance. Santana, whom let her girlfriend rest her head on her shoulder, looked over to Quinn. There was no hiding her blush any longer.

"Quinnie girl, look who's in love, right?"

"Santana…"

The Latina Cheerio lifted a finger in Quinn's direction. "Nope, don't even try. We all saw you. Playfully blushing and shyly pacing around. You love Joe, don't you?"

Rachel nodded in agreement. "Looks like they're more than just singing partners," she responded singsongy.

Joe was over on the right side of Artie, hiding his face away from everyone watching. He couldn't stop smirking at all of the attention he and Quinn were getting.

Quinn smiled back at everyone. Her eyes told everyone that she couldn't possibly live without the dreadlocked boy. In her brain, though, she shouted to Mr. Schue, "_Can we move on now?!_"

Surprisingly, he did.

"Alright, guys. Calm down. Now, who's up next?"

Sam jumped out of his chair. He prepared the song "I Belong to You". Some of the Glee club members assumed that he chose that song for Mercedes.

During Sam's number, Joe couldn't help but think of Quinn. Another Whitney Houston song that he thought about when Quinn came up. It's been weeks. He needed at least one break to spend time with her. Well, he was spending time with her, but he missed the little kisses on the cheek she would give.

He looked up at her. She danced a little to Sam's performance, and then glared in Joe's direction. Her eyes glowed once again. She missed Teen Jesus, too. If only there were a way for her to pull him over and have him.

If only there were a way…

* * *

The McKinley High Movie Night wasn't the biggest event McKinley has, but a decent amount of students and their families would still come to see whatever is playing. It was better than going to the actual movie theater and paying about ten to fifteen bucks per movie.

Quinn had arrived with her mother and paid the senior five bucks each at the door.

"Quinnie, can you watch my purse while I go get you some food from the cafeteria?"

"Sure."

Now Quinn felt really alone. Her mother had gone for concession-stand food, Joe and his parents were nowhere in sight, and no one else familiar seemed to be there.

The blonde stepped into the auditorium doorway and peeked inside. Maybe they were already inside. Yeah. Maybe they were waiting on her.

Nope, no one.

She wished she could be at home. She only showed up because she thought Mercedes, Rachel, and Joe were there. It could be a possibility that the girls ditched. Joe, it was unknown. Maybe he didn't want to go because he might get caught by his father if he and Quinn were kissing somewhere in the hallway.

Either way, she needed him by her side. She needed him to hug her, to make her feel right. She needed him right now.

Without checking if her mother was back, Quinn walked in the auditorium and sat in the fourth row. A familiar pale face with a blonde ponytail was visible in the third row.

Brittany.

The girl's arm waved at Quinn so many times that she couldn't even see her hand. Boy, she was an energetic ball of light.

"Hey there, Britt."

"You made it, Quinn," she spoke in her best child-like voice. "Did you see Santana yet? Where's your mom and Joe?"

"No, I don't know if Santana's coming." Quinn almost went out in space, wondering about Joe. He could be anywhere. In the bathroom. In his bedroom at home. At his family's local church. Just anywhere. "Joe…I really don't know."

"Do you think she's cheating on you?"

What the hell?

Although Quinn loved being friends with the girl, she was so dumb. Obviously, she heard Joe sing earlier today. How can she still think he's a girl?

"First of all, she's a '_he_', Brittany." The girl couldn't get that thought past anywhere in her mind. "Second of all, Joe would never cheat on me. He's a really faithful person. He loves me, and I love him. I'm pretty sure we both know that."

Brittany cocked an eyebrow. "So you _do_ love Joe? I knew it."

Quinn playfully hit the girl's arm. "I know. Whatever."

The two blonde girls giggled. Quinn wasn't too much alone anymore. She was lucky that Brittany made it here at least.

Suddenly, a hand reached Quinn's arm. She got startled immediately, turning to whoever was trying to get her attention.

Judy Fabray.

"Mom!"

Man, she scared the shit out of her own daughter.

Brittany couldn't help but laugh. Some of the things Quinn did made her smile when Santana wasn't there to do that job.

"I'm sorry, sweetie. I didn't mean to."

Quinn was embarrassed. She was pretty sure a couple of people around them heard the blonde shout. She turned to Brittany, who was still laughing her ass off. "Brittany, shut up. It's not funny."

"Then…" The girl laughed so much; my God, it was ridiculous. "Then why am I still laughing?"

If Quinn had her as a little sister, she'd stick a sock into her mouth until the movie began. Silly little Cheerio.

"I got you some Sour Patch Kids and popcorn if you're hungry. You too, Brittany, if you don't mind sharing."

The laughing blonde stopped laughing and shook her head. "That's okay. I got some Reese's and unicorn pebbles from home anyway."

Quinn rolled her eyes. Brittany was probably mentioning the bag of Sour Skittles she had sticking out of her purse. She never understood why, but Quinn would always hear something about Lord Tubbington's ecstasy and drug addictions and unicorn tales in almost every conversation. The girl has a really wild imagination.

Judy handed Quinn the bag of popcorn and Sour Patch Kids. Quinn wasn't hungry at the moment. Her mind went back to where Joe could possibly be.

Where _could_ he possibly be?

Mr. and Mrs. Hart showed up at the front door with their son. They had bought the tickets for the show about five seconds ago.

"You two can go in the auditorium and find seats," Mr. Hart declared. "I'll go get snacks."

Mrs. Hart nodded. "Sure."

By the time his dad left, Joe turned to his mother. "Mom, can I see if Quinn is here? I wanted to go see her."

"Of course you can. Just don't break your dad's rule, hear me?"

Oh, how he hated that rule. Just hated it!

But still, he had to find her. He needed to see her again.

Joe stepped into the auditorium. It was a little dark, but not very. About twenty-five people were inside and counting. He heard a couple of cries from the other side of the room. He was gonna learn sooner or later that almost every auditorium or theater had at least one crying child.

Great.

Teen Jesus beamed at the blonde sitting in the fourth row. Quinn was facing her mother and Brittany. This was his chance to finally converse with her.

"Miss Quinn Fabray." He sounded very dignified.

Quinn had the biggest, brightest smile on her face. "Mister Joseph Hart," she responded back adorably before falling into his arms and hugging him tightly. Judy and Brittany smiled watching them.

"Joe, you finally made it," Judy spoke up.

The dreadlocked boy took his seat beside Quinn's. "Yeah, my dad's in the cafeteria right now."

Quinn took a moment to comb Joe's ponytail of dreads with her tiny fingers. "And your mother?"

"Right here."

Mrs. Hart spoke up out of nowhere, putting a hand on the blonde's back, as well as Joe's. From above, the two still were adorable. "Hello again, Quinn." She and the blonde shook hands before Mrs. Hart took a seat in the row behind Joe.

The blonde turned to Joe, almost placing her hand fully behind his back. "I thought you weren't going to come at first."

"Quinn, please. I can't possibly miss being somewhere when you're there."

"Aw, thank you again."

"No problem."

Quinn's eye checked behind her. Mrs. Hart was applying make-up and speaking with another parent beside her. Mr. Hart was nowhere in sight. Quinn wasn't sure if this was good or not. He could be in the auditorium right now.

"_Is your dad here_?"

"Why whisper?"

Really?

Quinn gave him the stare, which gave Joe the idea immediately. "_Oh yeah._"

"_He is?_"

"_In the cafeteria._"

Quinn nodded.

"_What, you want to kiss me that bad, Quinn?_"

"_Uh, yes!_"

Joe chuckled at her humor. "_You can at least try. I mean, he'll be out for a few more minutes._"

Quinn bit her bottom lip. Her smile lit up the whole room. It's been about three, maybe even four weeks since she was able to kiss her boyfriend. She felt like going through a rainy day without her cell phone. It was lonely, cold, and boring. With Joe, she didn't have to feel bored or lonely anymore.

She could tell right away from Joe's adorable little smiles.

Her head leaned towards his, being as alert as she possibly can. She heard no familiar, masculine voice around. He heard no scolding from Joe's overprotective father. All she heard were several people talking among themselves and Joe breathing quietly.

His breathing made her feel calm in a way. It's like he's putting her to sleep by his side. It's like Quinn is five years old again, and Russell is letting the girl rest on his shoulder while he held her up in his arms. It was so peaceful.

Quinn felt Joe's cheek against her lips. No one was watching, but she heard Mr. Hart's voice a few steps away.

"I'm back."

The blonde backed away and turned to the screen hovering over the stage.

Mr. Hart handed his wife and son some bags of popcorn and took a seat in the fifth row behind Joe. Quinn took a couple of breaths just as the man took a sip of his drink.

Good God, that was a close one.

"_It's alright, Quinn. We'll have a chance later if you like._"

Quinn liked that offer. Maybe there was a way to do this. They just needed to not get caught by their parents. They needed to be together, alone. They needed to feel each other…and not just with hugging.

Great minds sure do think alike, because the two of them just came up with a brilliant idea.

* * *

About thirty-five minutes of the movie past. They happened to show the third installment of the "Twilight" series. Close to half of the people paid attention to the movie. Some will go out of the theater occasionally and back in. The rest either went to sleep at a certain part or were whispering to the person beside them.

Quinn had her head rested on Joe's shoulder, and Joe's arm wrapped around Quinn like a cozy scarf. He suspected that she was close to going to sleep herself. Behind him, his father was half asleep and his mother ate a little more of her popcorn.

Perfect timing.

Joe shook Quinn a little, making sure she was awake. "_Quinn…_"

The blonde slowly lifted her head and turned to Teen Jesus next to her. Some strands of her short hair got in the way of her left eye.

"_We can go ahead if you want to._"

"_Your dad might still be awake._"

"_I know a plan. You just come out in about three to five minutes._"

Quinn nodded and smirked. Clever boy.

Joe slowly rose from his seat and walked out, checking to see if his dad was asleep and that he wasn't blocking anyone's view.

Quinn patiently waited and went back to watching the film. Every five seconds, she would check her watch and see if the three to five minutes was up. She couldn't wait any longer. She had to just get up and find him.

The blonde turned to her right. Judy was still watching the film. In front of her, Brittany was probably asleep. She couldn't tell, though. Her head was straight up, but she didn't move an inch.

"_Mom…_"

Judy turned to her left at her silent daughter. "_Yeah?_"

"_I'll be in the bathroom._"

"_Alright then. Be back._"

Quinn shifted out of her seat and made it into the hallway. She was glad that she was in the hall at last. She felt so claustrophobic in that sweaty auditorium. She assumed that Principal Figgins never called the people to fix the air conditioner.

The halls were as dead as a graveyard. No one wandered around like Quinn did. They were either in the auditorium watching the movie, in the bathrooms, or in the cafeteria retrieving snacks.

This gave time for Quinn to walk around and think about any personal issues she's having.

Well…she really didn't have any issues. She was in the school at about 7:00 p.m. with her mother, best friend, boyfriend, and her boyfriend's parents. They showcased one of the best-selling films of this century. She survived through the jittery nerves she was having when Joe requested to perform in front of the Glee club. Nope, no issues at all—

Fuck. There was one: she won't be back next year like she is now.

Nothing will ever be the same. No more cheering on for football games. No more winning championships with the Cheerios. No more singing in New Directions. No more hanging out with Brittany and Santana. No more God Squad with Sam, Mercedes, and…and…

Damn it, no more Joe.

If she left Joe, it would break her like fragile glass. It has only been a few months, and already she loves him like she's been dating him since freshman year. That's it, she loves him.

Quinn wanted to cry. She really did. She won't be leaving just Joe, but her Cheerio friends, her New Directions friends, her God Squad friends—hell, even friends she hardly knows she has. And her mother, too. Gee whiz, her mother. They don't bond that often, but Quinn felt like she spent every minute with her in the day.

Just two more months. Two months.

She'll be graduating from McKinley, leaving Joseph and Sam, as well as other undergrads and the ones attending college in other cities, in two months.

She'll be on the plane headed to New Haven, Connecticut in two months.

She'll be moving into a dormitory with a new roommate in two months.

She'll be attending one of the most prestigious schools in the U.S. in two months.

This was all the time she had left. She needed to live it like it's her last few months to live on earth. She needed to use her time wisely. She could possibly squeeze in time with Santana, Brittany, and the other Cheerios. Maybe she could have more girl talks with Rachel about their relationship statuses. Maybe even add extra God Squad meetings. Another date with Joe could be a suggestion. Visit Sam and Mercedes at church on Sundays.

Anything would help at this point. Anything.

"_Quinn! Quinn!_"

The blonde searched around. The dreadlocked boy stood by the boys' bathroom. It was a good thing she followed the plan right.

"_Joe!_"

The girl ran happily over, leaping into her Teen Jesus, and hugging him like there's no tomorrow. However, she kind of _did_ think there was no tomorrow. I mean, look at the rules Joe's dad put on no kissing. He strongly put that on them.

And now they're doing the opposite.

Joe looked on his shoulder at Quinn's down little face. All the thoughts of graduation and leaving people put her in a bad state.

"You okay, Quinn?"

The blonde shook her head. This was not going to be a good evening.

"Why not?"

"I…I…"

"You can tell me."

"I…I don't want to leave you."

Joe strongly understood where this was going. Almost every time Joe received a hug from her, he thought of how she might feel about going to Connecticut. Man, that was so far away from Ohio. Of course she'd be upset by that.

"I don't want to leave you, Joe. I just want to stay here. I want to continue dating you. I want to stay here with the rest of my friends. Mercedes, Sam, Santana, Brittany, Rachel…"

She trailed off a bit. She was so depressed that she couldn't figure out what else to say. Her mind had given up on her.

Joe rubbed the poor girl's shoulder softly. "You can still date me. In fact, I can ask my mom if I can visit you on the weekends." That made Quinn feel a little bit better. "As far as Mercedes, Rachel, and Santana, I agree with you. I mean, two are headed to New York, and the other's going to California. I know Sam's gonna miss her."

Quinn nodded.

Joe put his hand on Quinn's chin, lifting her head up just slightly. His eyes met with hers again, and a reassuring smile came up on his face.

"You have nothing to worry about. You'll see them all again soon. You'll definitely see me, too. Everything's going to be okay."

The blonde couldn't help but smile sweetly. His words always cheered her up. "Thank you."

At that moment, Joe reached for Quinn's lips and kissed her softly. Quinn kissed back. Knowing that it's been too damn long of a wait for this moment, and that the depressing thoughts on leaving Ohio brought her down, Quinn felt at ease again. She felt light. She can finally stop dragging herself down.

The two continued to kiss. They fought for each other's lips. Quinn's tongue even slipped inside for Joe's. Hopefully, no one was watching them, especially not Mr. Hart. Boy, he would be furious.

Quinn must've loved fruit-flavored lip gloss; Joe took every chance he could to literally get his lips on hers and taste them for some reason. And every time that happens, that weird and funny feeling beneath himself would return. One time he attempted to hide it, but didn't really get lucky with that.

Joe's lips pressed harder to Quinn's. The blonde did the same, but ended up losing just as soon as she was pushed into the wall. She almost bumped her fragile, little head.

Surprisingly, she liked it.

"_My, you're a strong boy, aren't you?_" Quinn whispered seductively.

Joe smirked and looked down at her. "_I try._"

Quinn giggled seconds before her lips returned to Joe's. Whatever they were doing, it was romantic and lovely. They just won't stop. They didn't want to stop.

"Joseph! Joseph!"

But apparently, they had to.


	20. Chapter 19

Chapter Nineteen

"Joseph!"

Crap.

The two lovebirds shot horrified looks at each other. How did Joe's dad know they were in this part of the hallway?

"Joe, what were you thinking? Did you not hear me when I said—"

"Dad, let me explain."

"No, you're not explaining anything. You're coming with me." Mr. Hart had a firm grip of Joe's wrist. Shit, why did there have to be so much pain when it came to this guy?

"Mr. Hart," Quinn immediately spoke up. "I'm sorry. I was just—"

"Quinn. I'm sorry, but I don't want to hear it."

Joe was just about sick of this. It was only two minutes. Two minutes of kissing on the lips, all innocent and steady. His dad acts like it's a death trap. What more could he possibly do?

Joe knew it: nothing. He wasn't going to let him drag him around anymore.

Teen Jesus tried shaking his wrist free. "Dad, let me go!"

"You're not going to do this, Joe."

Joe triumphed to get his arm free, and stepped back so he would be beside Quinn. "You're embarrassing me, Dad. We already promised you that we're not going to sin or anything. Why don't you believe us?"

"It's not that I don't believe you. Haven't you realized that—"

"What's going on?"

Mrs. Hart stepped out of the auditorium as soon as she heard Joe and his father going back and forth. She spotted her husband's stern look, Joe's frustrated frown, and Quinn's worried expression. "Joe…what were you and Quinn doing?"

Quinn waved her hands at her. "Nothing, we were leaving. Right now."

Before Quinn made it to the auditorium door, Mrs. Hart stopped her in her tracks. "Don't lie to me, Quinn. You know I don't like lies."

"We were…weren't we?"

Joe nodded, but then caught a glimpse of his father. He was not happy at all. Man, the frown marks on his face got a little deeper. He's gonna regret it later on.

"Joe…" Mrs. Hart was still looking at the blonde before making it to her son. "Were you and Quinn out here…"

The dreadlocked boy held his hands in front of him. "Just let me explain, okay?"

Mr. Hart was beyond from not listening. He pushed Quinn slightly towards the auditorium door, not even paying attention to Joe's begging. "While you talk about that, I'm taking this child to her mother."

"Joe!"

"Dad, leave Quinn alone."

"It's not in discussion, Joe."

Not in discussion? He clearly came out here, spotted the two making out, and then confronted the two. Now he's taking Quinn away, and saying that it's not in discussion anymore?

Joe was just about tired of this. This needed to stop.

He ran in front of his father and his girlfriend, glaring the man straight in the eye. "Dad, please. Let me explain, and you can say whatever you want."

All Mr. Hart did was scoff. The next thing Joe might say, for all he knew, was that all of his new friends in this so-called New Directions group had a boyfriend or girlfriend. Such a fad.

"Remember when you took me to Christian camp last summer?"

"What does Christian camp have to do with this?"

"That's not the point, Dad."

_This had better be going somewhere._ Mr. Hart stood there, impatient and his arms folded.

"Anyway, Christian camp. We took a session our second to last week about forgiveness. Do you remember first John? Do you remember? Chapter one, verse nine."

For someone was a strictly avid Christian, Mr. Hart didn't have much memory of all of the verses in the Bible.

With a huff, Joe looked at him again and recited the verse. "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

Mr. Hart's response was just an eye roll.

"If Quinn and I did do something wrong, all we do is confess this stuff, and God will forgive us. Look at all the sins people have committed in this world so far. Look at those people at Matthew Phillips."

Neither one of Joe's parents never expected for Joe to bring back Matthew Phillips in any conversation.

"In a news section on the school internet, it said something about a junior boy that got to about nineteen percent of girls back in 2008. Then he threatened to kill his own teachers. It was related to some of his family members being stabbed to death right in front of him."

Mr. Hart couldn't believe what he was hearing. All of this Matthew Phillips crap was too much for Joe to be looking into. Was this the reason he wanted to be with Quinn? Because of some fool students at a terrible high school?

"Wouldn't God forgive him after being sent to the hospital and getting all of those rehabilitation sessions?"

"Joseph—"

"And what about Quinn? She already told us that she got pregnant before. After all of that craziness, she got help from her church, and she's in good condition now. God forgave her then. If she happens to do anything wrong but with me, then God will forgive her again."

Teen Jesus took one step closer to his dad, mentally pleading for him to understand. He couldn't tell what his response would be since he has that plain look on his face.

"Don't you remember the story of when you were mad at my uncle all those years, and never got to apologize to him before he died?"

Man, that was a crazy family feud Mr. Hart would never forget.

This happened a little before Joe's aunt died. Uncle Robby was a bipolar man. He had received his first job as a salesman around the age of twenty-three.

He pretty much lost it out of nowhere one day. He came home and just sat on the couch, staring at a blank TV screen. Mrs. Hart was only Mr. Hart's girlfriend at the time. She went to check on him and bring a drink to ease the tension.

It only made it worse. It turns out that Uncle Robby didn't want to be bothered with. He took the glass, poured the liquid on the floor, broke the glass, and aimed it at Joe's mother. The man was ridiculously crazy. Anyone and anything that triggered him, he would go against it.

God Lord, Joe definitely wouldn't be alive if she had been killed.

Mr. Hart held him down, as well as Joe's other aunts and uncles that were there at the moment. The police were reported to the house, pulling Uncle Robby to the police car and taking him away.

Years and years would pass, and Uncle Robby didn't change a bit. He would struggle with the doctors in the mental hospital where he was placed. He never took his medicine, or even decided to even try to turn his life around for the sake of his health and his family.

About four years ago, he got out of the hospital, never taking any meds or even getting himself a job. He would always ask his family for money since he couldn't afford food and heat for himself. Almost everyone turned him down.

Not even Mr. Hart would help his own brother out. He was still utterly pissed at when he aimed the broken glass at his wife. Every night Uncle Robby lived back then, he'd imagine himself stabbing the shit out of him in his sleep.

Then one day, he suffered a heart attack and died in a car crash. It was very brutal. Mr. Hart couldn't even get the image out of his head. Glass shattered and glued to his brother's head. Blood poured everywhere. In fact, the only thing that held Uncle Robby up was the vehicle and the tree he crashed in.

And the towing company had to pull the car away.

The day after, Mr. Hart paced around, wondering if avoiding Uncle Robby was the right thing to do. He tortured his family way before Joe was born. He wouldn't see his own wife again.

Then in another sense, they really didn't have much good moments together. They could have, though. They could've been going to baseball games, fooling around at family reunions, and fishing at lakes. They've been so separate since Uncle Robby went crazy.

If only Mr. Hart had the chance to say goodbye. He shouldn't have been mean to him all this time. They were still family. They could've been something amazingly memorable. But no. It was all ruined.

"You wanted to apologize to Uncle Robby for everything bad that has been going on, but you never got the chance to, nor you knew that he accepted your apology," Joe continued. "God knew that you were sorry, right? He probably already told Uncle Robby all this, and accepted it without you knowing."

Joe could be right. There could be a possibility that bipolar disorders and car crashes didn't even exist in heaven. Uncle Robby was in a better place now. That also meant that he got to be sent to God's temple. He probably heard Mr. Hart's apologies and prayers, and discussed all of this with his brother.

God was bound to forgive him…right?

"God forgave you then, Dad. He's gonna forgive me and Quinn if we ever made any mistakes, too."

Quinn couldn't explain the whole forgiveness thing any better. If she were hosting an awards show, she'd give all the awards to her wonderful boyfriend for his heart-felt speech.

She looked up at the man with promising eyes. All that flew through her mind was God forgiving the poor blonde for premarital sex at sixteen years old. That has got to be the worst mistake she has ever made.

Joe put his hands behind his back, waiting for a response from his father. "So…is it okay, Dad?"

Mr. Hart took a minute to think about it. As much as he agreed with Teen Jesus, it was a different situation. Mr. Hart's situation had something to do with sibling rivalry or whatever the hell it was. Joe's here dealing with sexual interaction with a girl he only met back in February.

Mr. Hart wouldn't expect to say yes when two irrelevant issues were put on the table.

However, they both had one thing in common, though: forgiveness.

Joe could be smarter than his father had ever thought. God probably forgave Mr. Hart for ignoring his brother all this time and not caring about what he was going through. I'm pretty sure God forgave little Joe for the glass break in the window from a while back.

Maybe…maybe Joe was right all along.

He watched as the two teens stood by each other, holding hands behind their backs. It was all irresistible. It was all young love. It was too precious to bring down.

It was also too inconsiderate to keep up with this limit rule anyway.

"Joe…you're only so young, and you have so much to learn and accomplish while your mom and I aren't homeschooling you anymore."

The man's voice sounded calmer than earlier. This was getting nerve-wracking.

The dreadlocked boy's fingers trembled while holding the blonde's hand. He had no idea what Mr. Hart's answer was. All he knew was that if he declined, then he and Quinn wouldn't be as normal of a couple as the rest of the school is, and his father would have to strictly check on him each second.

Mr. Hart took a deep breath and looked at the two again.

They were so sweet together. He actually liked it when they were hanging out at dinner last month. This was the closest friend Joe has ever gotten since he came here. Quinn brought the best out of him. He made him go out and explore so many amazing things Mr. Hart never saw when he was Joe's age. And in a way, Joe's dad was learning, too.

Quinn was one of the best things that happened to this whole family, actually.

"I know we all make mistakes in this world, ones I don't want you to run into, especially," Mr. Hart continued. His son nodded to his response. He watched as his father gave a promising smile. "But of course, God and I will always have room in us to forgive you and help you guide through."

Quinn and Joe smiled at each other, and then back at Mr. Hart. That was the answer they both were waiting for.

"So, is…is that…" Joe was so excited; he couldn't even finish the rest of his sentence.

Mr. Hart nodded in assurance.

Quinn and Joe could just clap and hug the man. That was a relief from all of the tension they had to go through.

Joe looked up at his dad, giving off a half smile and putting a hand on his father's arm. "You know what, Dad? I forgive you, too."

Mr. Hart looked confused. "_You_ forgive _me_?" Teen Jesus nodded. "For what?"

"Well, you kinda had a hard time with Uncle Robby, I'll agree."

The old man chuckled. "You don't have to worry about me, Joseph. Just worry about you."

Wow. He and Mrs. Hart must've been sharing the same advice back and forth. It sure did seem familiar to the young Christian boy.

The two shared a father-son hug. Behind them, Mrs. Hart smiled at them getting along, and then glanced to Quinn. She was happily watching Mr. Hart hug his son until he broke into pieces. It reminded the blonde of how she and Russell used to be. It was such an adorable moment.

Joe and Mr. Hart finally let loose of each other. Joe turned to his girlfriend beside him. She couldn't be any happier. She caught herself trapped in Joe's comfy arms. It calmed all of her nerves down. She felt like she was asleep at home under the soft covers and her head resting on the big pillows.

Joe was so soft and comforting. Thanks to that little clearing, he could hug the blonde all he wanted. He loved her so much. It reminded Mrs. Hart of her and her husband when they were first dating. They were so cute, so charming.

Mr. Hart felt like he succeeded. It's nice to see his son happy again.

* * *

The ringtone to "Someone Like You" played a couple of times on Quinn's phone.

The blonde rolled over in the bed, moaning and covering her ears. Who the hell calls at seven in the morning when a girl is trying to get her beauty rest? Seriously. All the hours in the day, and they want to call now? It was irritating Quinn badly, and she just wanted to throw her phone out the window.

"_Never mind, I'll find someone like you…_"

The damn song kept playing on her cell over and over. She couldn't take it much longer.

Quinn rolled back over and grabbed the phone, answering the call with a droopy morning voice. "_Hello?_"

"Oh, were you still asleep?"

Apparently.

"Rachel, what is it? I was trying to get more rest."

"Oh, Finn wanted me to remind you about a New Directions gathering today at noon."

The blonde struggled to get up and hear what Rachel was saying. "What do you mean a New Directions gathering?"

On the other line, Rachel was already dressed and looking through a magazine crossword puzzle. "Well, Finn and I wanted to have a fun little outing with all of the graduating seniors and the undergrads that are in the Glee club. We sort of planned it two days ago, and sent a letter in your email yesterday. Did you get it?"

"An email? No."

"Well, we're going to meet at fifty-eighth street, and Finn will lead from there. I just wanted to remind you about that. We thought that, you know, since graduation's coming up and everyone's leaving, we could have more fun moments together. What do you say?"

More great moments with the Glee club members is what she exactly needed. There's been so much stress lately, especially on her. Prepping for competitions. Practicing the _walking down the aisle to the stage_ thing for graduation. Getting applications ready for college. Packing up to leave Lima. Handling a relationship with Joe.

What she needed right now was a little fun. The latest thing fun that happened to her was winning first place at Regionals. God, that was a whole month ago. This whole outing thing Finn and Rachel planned for the whole Glee club was something that could take Quinn's mind off this craziness.

"I'll think about it for a couple of minutes, and then call you back."

Rachel perked up. "Okay then. I'll call you at about 10:30 and see if you thought about it, alright?"

Unenthusiastically, Quinn nodded and the two hung up their phones.

The blonde got up out of bed, went to the bathroom, brushed her teeth, and washed her face. She felt so weak. She thought that she could finally sleep in this weekend. Apparently, she couldn't.

It's always someone in New Directions that has to be dragged by the witty hands of Rachel Berry. Lesson learned.

Returning into her bedroom, Quinn found a simple, baby blue tank top and a black skirt to slip on. Her legs felt so heavy as they dropped down after putting the skirt on. Luckily, she found some ankle-high shoes she could slip onto her feet.

Boy, she was gonna miss her bedroom when she graduates. She's only been here for about two years, but it felt like she's been here for all her life. It was her own little temple of comfort. She could do and say whatever she wanted. It was decorated neatly, fit for a princess.

She'll especially miss the people in the pictures, hanging on the little bulletin board above her desk.

Quinn spotted a picture of her with Santana and Brittany in freshman year. They had just won a competition before the school year ended, and they celebrated at Hooter's. Quinn could think of a million reasons why she'll miss Santana and Brittany especially.

Another picture was of Rachel at Sectionals in sophomore year. Sure, she had her ups and downs with Rachel, but she brought the best out of her in her sophomore year when she was pregnant. If it wasn't for her and Glee club, she'd be nothing in the school, and everyone would've rejected her.

The third picture was of Sam and Puck on the beach during spring break. Those boys were party animals together. They'd go and play arcade games almost each weekend when they're not with a girl. They'll practice basketball on the park court now and then. Their friendship was ever so astounding.

The fourth picture was of Sam and Mercedes at junior prom. They looked so cute together that night. I'm sure Mercedes recovered from the loneliness and depression, trying to look for someone to be her date. Now she's happier than ever.

The next one was of her and Joe at the Valentine's Day party. Quinn loved looking at that picture. Joe was so tense that night, especially when he thought Quinn wasn't even going to come. At least he let loose a little and was able to have fun. That was the first time Quinn ever saw him have that much fun.

It was also the first night she realized how into her Joe really was.

Actually, she didn't think that Joe was into her when he pulled away during his erection. She had a change of thought, though. Gosh, the boy was so embarrassed. He crushed on her so bad, and kept trying to hide it away from her.

These people in Quinn's pictures were the ones she was going to miss the most. Brittany and Santana alone were two peas in a pod. The two of them with Quinn was the complete and utterly heart-felt Unholy Trinity. They'd hang out everywhere they went, and they would outshine every student in McKinley. Quinn possibly couldn't give up her two best friends.

In all honesty, she couldn't give up Rachel or Mercedes, either. They were Quinn's friends when she joined Glee club. They made her think positively. Rachel taught her that being a part of something special makes her special, and not just for appearances. Plus, being an avid God Squad member, Mercedes gave Quinn very good advice about how to cope with her situation.

Puck and Sam were Quinn's ex boyfriends, but they still have good times together. When Quinn wasn't with either one, she still got to be goofy and a little fun with them on rare occasions.

Then there was Joe. It had only been a short amount of time, but she was very close to him. They shared a lot since Joe transferred. Joe's still learning a lot, but he catches on pretty quickly. Not only this, but they were boyfriend and girlfriend. Of course, Quinn had many boyfriends in her past. Joe was the present one now, and really sweet to her. She'd give up anything for him and the rest of the gang.

A tear fell freely down the blonde's face. She didn't want to cry, even after washing her face and primping herself. Unfortunately, graduation is right around the corner. If she declined Rachel's request to go to the outing, then that would be her last shot in doing something fun with the other New Directions members.

Breakfast didn't really help much, but it filled her up and gave her a chance to think about things. Should she go ahead and do this? Depression was taking her over.

She was tired. She didn't feel like crying anymore. She felt like spending every last minute with each of her friends. She wanted to clear every image of leaving to New Haven, and just live present life.

Quinn combed her hair for about a few seconds and then called Rachel again.

"Hello, Rachel?"

"Quinn?"

"Tell Finn that I'm coming."

Shrieks of excitement flew gracefully out of Rachel's mouth. "Excellent."

Quinn smiled. Boy, she was an outgoing girl. "Also, tell him that I'm bringing a friend with me."

"Who?"

"Oh, I'm pretty sure you know."

* * *

"Joseph! Telephone!"

The dreadlocked boy was in his bedroom, reading another scripture from his Bible. His mother had come up to the room with the house phone, handing it to her son.

"Hello?"

"Joe, it's me."

Joe suddenly lit up. "Quinn? Hey."

Mrs. Hart knew what that meant immediately. She stepped out of Joe's room and waited for him to be done with the phone.

"Did you want to come over or something?"

"Actually, something different." Joe was impressed with Quinn's new suggestion. "I know you're kind of new to the Glee club, and you don't fully know everyone just yet. But I was hoping that we could continue on with that."

Teen Jesus nodded. "And by that, you mean…"

Quinn smirked. "Let's have a little fun, shall we?"


	21. Chapter 20

Chapter Twenty

Joe had no idea on where Quinn was taking him. She wouldn't say anything about it. All she said was, "Let's have some fun." Still pretty vague for someone like Quinn.

"Good morning, Teen Jesus."

She sounded so adorable. Being called by his famous nickname made Joseph blush. He pushed his dreads back over his head and hugged his pretty girlfriend softly in his arms.

"Hey there, Quinn. So, where are we going?"

"You'll know when we get there. Promise me."

Joe started feeling a little edgy. _She had better not be taking me to a bar…or a cemetery or something like that._ "We're not going to get in trouble or anything, are we?"

The blonde chuckled. "No, this'll be fun. You'll see."

Joe hopped in the passenger's seat of Quinn's car, looking out the car window and seeing his mother wave back at him. He had no idea that she was watching.

Quinn sat in the driver's seat, inserting the key into the hole near the steering wheel of the car. "Ready to go?"

Joe playfully rolled his eyes and shrugged. "You tell me, Quinn. I still have no idea what we're doing."

The girl laughed. "Joseph, you're too funny."

"As well as you, Queen Q."

Queen Q? After all the nicknames he's been given these past few months, he finally has the chance to throw one at Quinn. Just perfect.

"_Queen Q_? Really, Joe? You could've gone with Q, you know."

"Yeah, but you're my girlfriend. I consider you a queen, you know?"

Quinn gushed. "Thank you so much."

Joe loved it when she smiled. It reminded him that there was nothing to feel bad about. He can finally be happy and feel free to do whatever he liked.

The blonde thought of many adorable things Joe did. He smiled adorably. He kids around adorably. He dances adorably. He can even be adorable without doing anything. No wonder she loved him so much.

The car started up and drove onto the road. They turned many corners, awaited many stop lights, and passed many houses and buildings. Joe was still curious as to where Quinn was going.

Quinn's car honked the moment she pushed onto the steering wheel. Familiar faces in front of her waved back. Joe recognized them from Glee club. A blonde, short-haired male stuck his head out of the driver's window, and the girl in the passenger's seat stuck her arm out and waved at the two.

Sam and Mercedes.

Joe lowered his window, stuck his head out slightly, and waved back at Mercedes. She had a grin on her face the moment she spotted the dreadlocked boy. He could tell right away that they were happy to see them.

Quinn followed Sam and Mercedes to their destination. Two other cars were ahead of them. One was a dark blue Chevy with smooth wheels. Kurt and Blaine were in that one. The other was a black Cadillac with big wheels, which Finn was driving in with Rachel.

Joe turned behind him. A maroon Honda drove behind Quinn's. Two familiar, smooth-curl ponytails were swaying side to side on the heads of Brittany S. Pierce and Santana Lopez. Teen Jesus swore he spotted Puck in a ratty, gray car with Artie in the passenger seat.

The whole Glee club was on the road. Joe thought it was only Quinn that was a part of this. Where the heck were they going?

It took about an hour and a half until New Directions made it to their location. At first, they only saw a lot of shrubs and flowers, somewhat like a fancy garden area. Then they saw a huge parking lot, with a few cars parked in different spots. Amusement park rides were on the other side of a brick wall that separated the parking lot from the attractions.

Quinn was amazed, but confused. Why were they at an amusement park? It seemed so childish. Oh well. Anything to spend quality time with her New Directions friends would be the best thing that's ever happened this weekend.

Quinn found a nearby parking space in between Rachel and Finn, and Kurt and Blaine. "Well, we're here."

Joe got a little tired and was half asleep when they made it there. "Oh, we are." The poor guy was so sleepy today.

The blonde placed a hand on Joe's shoulder and rubbed it softly. "What's wrong, Joseph? Too tired?"

"I must've been up all night practicing songs on my guitar."

"The same Christian songs you usually listen to, or ones that you wrote?"

"Same old, same old."

He turned to Quinn and smiled. Him being tired on a Saturday morning wasn't going to bring him down, especially when he's with Quinn Fabray. The blonde was always up and ready to go for something. He needed some of her energy today.

Hopefully, he was going to get it.

"Do you want to rest here for a little while? Would you like to find a place to sit out there and get fresh air or something?"

Joe shook his head. "No. I'm ready to have fun with everyone."

Quinn smiled. "Alrighty, let's go."

Quinn and Joe got out of the car and met up with the rest of the Glee club at the entrance. Most of the New Directions members already made it there before they did.

With an encouraging smile on her face, Rachel faced everyone and handed them purple paper bands. "Welcome New Directions to Freddy's Fun Park. It's so nice to see all of you here today."

Next to Quinn, Brittany's eyes wandered around, and then found Santana's. "_Does she mean Freddy Cougar?_"

Really hilarious of her.

Quinn then gave Rachel and Finn her attention once again. It was kind of funny how the two looked—and almost acted—like adult chaperones Will Schuester and Emma Pillsbury. Sure, they were leading members who incorporate into this whole thing, but they seemed ridiculously like a married couple in their mid-40s.

"Now, we're all going to have fun here. You know, play games, get on rides, take pictures—"

"Are we discussing what we're going to do when all this good stuff you're talking about is waiting on us?" Santana sounded very impatient. It probably had something to do with Rachel always having her run-on speeches in front of everyone.

Rachel nodded in the Cheerio's direction. "I know, Santana. You hate these things, and I understand."

Santana huffed. _That's never likely._

"I just wanted to remind everyone to come back later and meet up so we can have a little get-together before we leave."

It was silent for a second and then Santana clapped once. "Perfect."

The brunette had the biggest smile on her face. "Alright, guys! Let's do this!"

And with that, New Directions got in line to get past the amusement park guards. Santana and Brittany held hands as they went in.

Behind them, Joe couldn't help but snicker. He leaned towards Quinn. "_Are Santana and Rachel always like that?_"

The blonde shrugged. "_I know Rachel is, at least._"

Quinn's snicker gave away how hilarious she thought Joe's question was. She felt so guilty for answering it, but it was so funny to see her two friends go back and forth like that.

All of the Glee club members made it past and stopped once they got in. The place was so huge from the inside. Many roller coasters surrounded the area in front of the Ferris wheel, and there was even a haunted house on the left side of the amusement park. A Ferris wheel the size of New York City was spinning slowly in the back somewhere. Many booths with varieties of games and prizes stood in various locations.

Somewhere along the line, Quinn thought she heard Brittany spot a plush unicorn that she wanted to win. The Glee club members seemed excited. Quinn believed that Rachel and Finn did the very best they could for their friends.

Now it was time to experiment with all of this.

"Quinn, Joe, come with us!"

Quinn noticed that the Glee club members had split up already, and the two Cheerios were waiting on her and the dreadlocked boy to come with them.

Well, Brittany at least.

Joe grabbed Quinn's hand and slightly pulled her forward. "Yeah, Quinn. Let's go."

Quinn laughed, enjoying Joe's newfound energy. "You said you were tired."

They both laughed, and followed Brittany and her struggling girlfriend to the first roller coaster. Boy, she was fast. All of that stretching out in Cheerios and dance practices in Booty camp really paid off. Out of everyone, she was the big kid of the group.

That's something not even Santana, Joe, and Quinn combined can deny.

* * *

"Sam Evans, I'm going to kill you!"

"Dude, run for your life!"

Quinn and Joe had returned from a game booth, and spotted Sam, Puck, and Finn running away from a soaked Mercedes Jones. The three boys had all thrown water balloons at her, and squirted her with water guns.

Unfortunately for Sam, he didn't make it that far. He got a big blow in the face from a green water balloon Mercedes flung at her face.

"Shit, she got me!" He didn't even see two little boys, somewhat around the age of nine, run past him once he said that.

Finn and Puck laughed like hyenas at the sight of Sam surrendering from the water balloon fight once Mercedes hit one on his head. Joe chuckled at both Sam and Mercedes. They were going to need three blow dryers and a couple of towels once this day was over.

Joe really tried to stop laughing. He really tried. But then he turned to Quinn, and had pretty much the same idea that Sam did.

"You are _not_ gonna hit me with those things!" Quinn giggled.

Well, it almost worked.

Teen Jesus shrugged and turned towards a photo booth near one of the game areas. He wanted to cherish these moments forever. A picture with Quinn would definitely help.

"Quinn, do you want a picture?"

The blonde turned in his direction and spotted Tina and Mike coming out with their pictures. Knowing them, theirs could be something goofy or romantic. There was a lot about Mike and Tina that New Directions hardly know about.

"Sure. Come on."

They both held hands softly and headed towards the empty booth. They divided tokens equally, leaving Joe to pay the extra one, and both sat inside, closing the black curtains.

Joe couldn't believe he was doing this with her. It was a bittersweet feeling. He had the time of his life with his girlfriend and the rest of the Glee club. Too bad that there were only about two or three hours until the place closes. If it stayed open longer, he could practically redo this whole day over.

Quinn directed his attention towards the screen in front of them. "You see, Joe? They're getting the angle ready."

There was so much about technology that Joe certainly doesn't know a thing about.

"Now in a couple of seconds, they'll snap our photo. Get ready to pose, alright?"

"Cool."

Joe wrapped his arm around Quinn from under her arm, and placed his hand near her right hip. Quinn hugged the dreadlocked boy with her left arm, turning her head towards the camera and laying it on the side of Joe's. He faced the same direction, seeking Quinn's smile on screen.

Joe couldn't get over how beautiful she looked. There was something unique about her that he really wanted to know. Her smile made him smile. He could tell that Quinn loved the adorable smiles he gave off.

They both giggled into the camera. Once they got their first shot, they quickly got in another pose. Quinn made bunny ears on top of Joe's head. Joe did a jazz hand behind Quinn's right shoulder.

They both laughed at their hilarious poses, and it showed when the camera snapped again.

For the next photo, Quinn and Joe made it simple and shared a sweet, soft hug, smiling sweetly into the camera. Joe's cardigans were always warm and snuggly. Every time Quinn hugged Teen Jesus, she felt ten times safer than the last time. She had to know where his mother was getting these from.

Once the camera snapped that photo, they shared a glance with each other. Like all the other times, they drowned into their dazzling eyes. Joe's heart was beating very fast, a trickle of sweat rolled down from his forehead, and he felt another erection coming on.

Good thing the camera didn't show their whole bodies. Otherwise, shame would be imprinted all over his face.

Quinn was hungry. Hungry for him, specifically. Thank God for Joe when his father caught them the other night. She was ready to do it. She was ready to kiss him and never stop.

Her lips came in contact with Joe's, and she kissed him softly. A little bit of his bottom lip got caught in her mouth. Teen Jesus felt adrenaline rushing through every section of his body. The girl sent electricity, and eventually fireworks, everywhere. He ended up kissing her back, his tongue reaching in for Quinn's.

Both of their eyes were closed as they sucked in each other. Neither even noticed the camera still snapping photos of them. They were focused on each other, trying to get a taste of each other's lips and tongues, and rubbing their hands on their waists.

They heard a couple of groans and pants coming from each other's mouths. Quinn took a firm grip of Joe's cardigan once he came out of her mouth, and sent shocks down her back when he kissed her lips again. Her hands came up to his face, and then down to his neck. Her fingers danced on his loose dreads once she laid her arms on his shoulders.

At the moment, Quinn lost the mouth war once Joe put his lips over hers, and placed his hands more around her waist. The boy shivered as he felt Quinn's hands move around on his body, from his dreadlocks to his waist. She felt so good on him. Even with a cardigan made with a little thick fabric, Quinn could make the boy jump whenever she wanted to.

Quinn Fabray turned out to be more than just the pretty blonde girl he met in God Squad.

They finally let go of each other and opened their eyes. They both seemed amazed. That has got to be the best make-out session they've ever had.

Quinn considered Teen Jesus to be a really experienced kisser, although he's never kissed anyone but her before. She had to take a couple of breaths once they let go.

Goodness, how was she going to compete with him?

How was she going to breathe the next time they did it?

How is going to have a soul left in her?

God, he was sucking her soul out. That was it. Sucking Quinn Fabray's soul straight out of her mouth. Quinn could still feel her soul inside somewhere, but it looked as if Joe was trying to drain it out. In the same way, it felt like she was sucking his soul out as well. Geez, and it felt so calming and tastefully charming.

Joe took his hand and stroked a strand of Quinn's blonde hair behind her back. He didn't want anything to distract from her beautiful face and her infectious smile. The glitter on the girl's lips dazzled each time she grinned from ear to ear.

That was the first time he felt more electricity in him than ever before. Quinn was so damn hot. She was so electrifying. Jesus, he was going to explode into the sky with her all over him.

The camera was done snapping pictures, and Quinn finally noticed. She straightened her wrinkled baby blue shirt that Joe ruffled up with his firm hands. "Ready to go?"

Joe nodded. "Actually, I have something to show you."

They climbed out of the booth, taking a breath of that delicious, humid air that they've been waiting for. After all that trying to reach in for each other's tongues and taking each other's air, they needed that little breeze.

Quinn checked the return slot to find their pictures.

Holy shit.

The blonde giggled. "Joe, look."

Teen Jesus walked over and saw the photos in Quinn's hands. About five photos were of the two kissing each other and not looking into the camera. It made Joe smile. "I like them."

"You do?"

"Yeah. At least you're in them, right?"

Quinn blushed and placed a hand on Joe's left cheek. "You're so precious, you know?"

"Well, you are, too."

He took Quinn's soft hand and walked her out of the amusement park area. Now this time, _Quinn_ didn't know where they were going. She figured that Joe wanted to go on the Ferris wheel again, but apparently not.

There was a garden area surrounding about three-fourths of the whole amusement park, leaving one-fourth to be a lake nearby where the Ferris wheel is.

Joe found a really bushy area that seemed like a little hideaway. The hideaway was surrounded by huge flower shrubs so high that no one could see anybody on the other side. The huge flower shrubs had varieties of colors of flowers, and put into a circular shape. A couple of benches sat around the inner circumference of the spot.

Quinn looked around and gaped. "When did you find this place?"

Joe folded his hands behind his back. "When you, Rachel, and Mercedes went into the haunted house."

So that explains his reasoning about demons and ungodly creatures. Typical Teen Jesus for you.

The blonde couldn't stop looking at the roses on the shrubs. They were so pretty. She couldn't believe she was here right now. She couldn't believe Joe found this place. It was so beautiful. And the sun setting to the horizon made it a perfect touch.

"Do you like it?" the blonde heard her boyfriend ask.

She couldn't help but smile. "I love it."

They both sat on the middle bench next to each other, and watched as the sun set below the horizon of the lake far beyond.

Quinn couldn't stop smiling. She loved how this day was turning out. She got to spend time with all of her New Directions friends, and a little extra with her boyfriend near the end. This was the best weekend ever.

Joe turned behind him and picked a couple of white, blue, and pink flowers from the shrub behind him, and made a bouquet for Quinn. "Here you are, Quinn Fabray." He just loved saying her last name.

The blonde gushed. "Thank you, Joseph." She loved saying his full first name, too.

Joe handed the flowers to her, and the girl sniffed the pretty little petals. "They're so beautiful. I love these."

"Exactly. They're beautiful like you. That's why I figured I'd take you out here and see them."

Quinn grinned. "I really want to thank you for this. I've been having such a pity morning, thinking about what's going to happen soon."

"About graduating?"

"Yeah".

She had forgotten all about this morning. She was having such a hard time dealing with the fact that she's going to leave all of these great people. Hopefully she wasn't going to cry again. She didn't want Joe to have to see tears running down her face for the first time.

Joe wrapped his arm around the girl and rubbed her shoulder. "I know you're worried, Quinn. I'm worried about you, too. I'm worried about what'll happen while you're in Yale. I'm worried about our relationship and how we would keep up with it." The blonde nodded. "But you know what? I don't let it get the best of me."

Quinn's fingers tapped against each other. "How do you handle it?"

Joe smiled. "Well, there's not really a way with me. I just think about positive things other than you leaving and stuff."

"I guess that's true."

The dreadlocked boy turned to her and smiled again. "How do you enjoy the day?" It seemed like a random question, but he didn't mind at all.

"I enjoyed every last second," Quinn responded, still holding on to the flowers. "Want to know why?" Joe nodded, anxious to hear her answer. "I got to spend it with you."

Joe's eyes stayed on Quinn's, being blinding by her shine. "I love you so much, Quinn."

And boy, did he mean it.

"I love you, too."

After sharing another smile, they leaned in on each other for another kiss. They slowed down a little this time. Too bad for the two, since they both want to take each other in.

Joe's hands came up to Quinn's face, rubbing her cheeks with his thumbs. Quinn felt little tingles when he did that. Jesus, why was Joe this attractive, sending fireworks to this girl? She was gonna burn in the freakin' sky!

Quinn caught herself clinging onto Joe's cardigan again. For some reason, she loved touching them. It was kind of stupid for her, but they looked and felt so good on Teen Jesus. She couldn't get enough.

Joe was in the girl's mouth. She finally triumphed to get her lips over his. Joe could feel her smooth, inner top lip over his. Everything on Quinn was so smooth to him. He felt like fainting. He really did.

One of Joe's hands ended up on Quinn's skirt, rubbing against the girl's slim leg. Quinn immediately gasped and fluttered her eyes shut. There were a whole lot of things unexpected Joe could do that made her legs wobbly.

"Oh Joe…" she sighed.

Quinn's gasp and her calling Joe's name sounded so seductive. Joe's heart continued to beat very fast, and the blood flushed through his arms all out through his body.

The blonde heard herself say that, too. She hadn't seductively said her boyfriend's name since she made out with Sam last year. Joe was so hot. She couldn't believe she was doing this.

Quinn grabbed him and brought him closer to her. More waves of adrenaline flowed through Joe's tender body. More moans and sighs came out of their mouths as they kept up with the constant, slow kissing. Joe felt Quinn's leg on top of his. His face turned a little red as he felt the stiffness down beneath himself again.

Surprisingly, Quinn didn't mind. She was practically half sitting on the boy, holding onto him tightly, and pressing her soft lips harder on Joe's. So the dreadlocked boy just went along with it and continued making out with her, rubbing her bare leg and letting the blonde stroke at his loose dreads.

"Quinn! Joe!"

"Teen Jesus! Stretch marks!"

"Santana!"

"What?"

Joe finally let go of the girl, and listened to the sounds of shouting from about twenty steps away. The familiar shouts came from Mercedes, Santana, and Brittany. Joe's guess was that Rachel and Finn were rounding everyone up for a get-together before they left.

Quinn took her leg off of Joe's and smoothed her black skirt and baby blue shirt. Thank God she could finally breathe again from that luscious make-out session.

"_Looks like it's time to go._"

"_Looks like._"

They caught themselves whispering at the moment. If the girls came over and saw them, they'd be the center of attention for almost the rest of the school year.

"I don't see them." It sounded like Brittany.

"Maybe they're really not over here," they heard Mercedes say. "We can check by the food area or the bathrooms."

Their feet slid against the grass as they left back into the amusement park area.

Quinn grabbed Joe's hand. "_Coast clear?_"

"_Coast clear._"

They got up from the bench and tip-toed around the hideaway area, checking to see if any members of New Directions were still there looking for them.

Once they made it to the entrance, they waited on the side for the rest of the group to come out. Puck, Artie, Kurt, and Blaine started coming out first. Then Rachel and Finn. Then Sam, Mike, and Tina. Two more Glee club members, Sugar Motta and Rory Flanagan, came afterwards.

Rachel stepped towards the blonde. "Quinn, how long were you here?"

"About five or seven minutes, waiting on you guys." Hopefully that was going to cover what Quinn _really_ did.

As more New Directions members came out, they all marched down to where their cars were parked. They took a look at the sky turning dark. It was such a pretty sight. The moon was glowing, and it looked as pretty as the Big Dipper.

Santana sat on the trunk of her car, holding onto Brittany's arm. "Okay, Berry. Why are we out here?"

Rachel stood in the middle of the semicircle that the Glee club members formed by their cars. "Okay, so I know all of us aren't graduating. The majority is, really."

Everyone nodded. Sugar grabbed Rory's arm tightly, hugging the Irish boy until he choked something up. "Good thing I'm not graduating just yet," she spoke. "I would want to stay with you guys for another two years, even though I don't know or like some of you."

Quinn rolled her eyes. That girl was going to get slapped sooner or later, Aspergers or not.

Rachel, sensing something awkward when Sugar just said that, went back to the main subject. "Anyways, I wanted to go around and say one thing that you'll miss, what you liked about this year, and, for the graduates, what you'll remember from your high school experience."

The group nodded again.

"I'll start."

Kurt scoffed and leaned to Blaine. "_Obviously._"

_Kurt Hummel, you sly devil._ Rachel was probably thinking that, Kurt thought she wasn't listening. "One thing that I liked about this year was the fact that we all won Regionals, and are heading to Nationals in Chicago."

The New Directions group erupted into applause and cheers. Rachel blushed at that. "I'll definitely remember all of our accomplishments, whether they were hard to achieve or not. I'm also going to miss all of you, because you've made this Glee club into a huge success."

Everyone grinned and nodded to Rachel's response. The short brunette turned to her boyfriend on her left. "You next, Finn."

The awkward eighteen-year-old turned to everyone, standing strong. "I'll miss Glee, football, bros' night out with you guys—"

Artie did his famous hand wave in the air. "You know it, bro!"

Some of the Glee club members giggled at Artie's response.

"I'll miss the performances we do at competitions, the practices at Booty camp—just everything." The group nodded and continued to listen. "I liked playing at football games, performing at competitions as said, and goofing off with the rest of you. Of course, I'll remember my girlfriend—"

Santana tugged Brittany's arm and leaned towards her with a scoff. "_Of course._"

Finn grunted at Santana's comment to Brittany. The girl always had something to say, especially about him. He'll probably get over it sooner or later.

Or maybe not.

"I'll remember everything Mr. Schue has been teaching us about loving ourselves, and I liked listening to each and every one of you guy's voices."

Mercedes was the first to cheer for that one. Everyone followed along, applauding Finn Hudson for his input on his school year.

After cheering on her quarterback boyfriend, Rachel turned to the blonde to her right. Quinn was sitting comfortably between Mercedes and Joe. The brunette had picked her to go next.

"_Me?_"

Great. Another thing unexpected that Quinn finally encountered.

"Yeah, Quinn. You next."

The rest of New Directions heard them cheer on Quinn, encouraging her to stand off the car she sat on the edge on. The girl nervously stood up and took a step forward facing the Glee kids.

God, she did not want to have to do this. She had so much on her mind right now, which made her extremely nervous. Looking at all of her fellow Glee club members, she had the sudden urge to cry. She didn't want to cry. She didn't want to embarrass herself.

Rachel clapped her hands together. "Go on, Quinn."

The girl felt her nerves getting the better of her on the inside. Boy, how was she going to do this? It was all so nerve-wracking.

Well, here it goes.

"Well, I liked all of the lessons Mr. Schue would teach us each week, along with the tributes to famous artists."

Good start, Quinn Fabray. Good start.

"I'll definitely remember all of the help that I received when I…well, went a little crazy on myself and you guys." She spotted a couple of smiles, indicating laughs, on some faces.

Quinn suddenly remembered Rachel's other bullet point to the whole conversation. She didn't even know how she was going to say that. She's going to miss everything. Glee club. The Cheerios. Competitions she did with New Directions. The Unholy Trinity. The God Squad. Her mother.

She'll miss everything.

This whole discussion was putting a lot of weight on her shoulders. She was having the hardest time trying to continue on with this.

The blonde bit her bottom lip, looking around at the members looking back at her. "Um…I'll miss…"

Behind her, Santana held onto Brittany's hand, feeling the same pain that Quinn was feeling. Brittany sensed that she was having a hard time dealing with this as well. The three girls haven't been doing much before Quinn rejoined the cheerleading squad.

Quinn looked down at her feet, trying to take in a breath and figure out how she was going to survive this.

"I'll miss all of you guys…" That was a struggling start, but a good one. "I'll miss Glee, Cheerios, the God Squad…"

She kept on pausing in between sentences. She was so worked up, and it was definitely showing when putting her input out there to her fellow Glee club members. They all looked worried, but supportive for the blonde. They all respectively listening to her speak.

The blonde turned to the two lesbian Cheerios. "I'll miss you guys, Santana and Brittany. Hard to believe that we're ending it all, right?"

The girls nodded, but Quinn trembled a little. The poor thing was shaking a little and couldn't stop. What was she going to do now?

Rachel seemed the most concerned. "Quinn?"

Everyone watched as the girl's lips continued to tremble under her breath. Her eyes watered at the sight of worried Glee kids looking back at her. The blonde assumed that Rachel was already regretting doing this already.

Mercedes, Joe, and Brittany all moved from their spots towards Quinn. She didn't notice them until Brittany wrapped her soft arms around her, and Mercedes placing a hand on her shoulder. Brittany and Mercedes were just as worried for her as the rest of the group.

"Teen Jesus, help." Brittany's baby doll eyes fell on Joe's, hugging Quinn tightly and rubbing her other shoulder.

Joe looked at the worried blonde in Brittany's arms. Tears were flowing freely down her cheeks and soaking her baby blue shirt. She was in utter pain. No one denied that.

The rest of the Glee club members were coming towards her. Joe tapped Brittany on the arm, signaling her to let go, and grabbed Quinn, pulling her to the side a little.

"Quinn, look at me. Quinn." Joe's girlfriend lifted her head slowly. Her face had so many soaked tears on them. Her eyes were puffy red, and her lips continued to tremble.

"Quinn, we're all worried for you. You're stronger than this. You're better than this. I believe in you, alright?"

The blonde wiped away the tears with a Kleenex that Sam provided for her. She clenched the little tissue in her right hand and looked Joe in the eyes again. It was all too much for her. Even saying aloud what she'll miss will have her emotionally dead. Everything was bringing her down.

Joe was her only strength now, as well as her weakness. He helped her cope with things. He helped her up when she fell down. He helped her day get better when it was dark and gloomy.

And at that moment, she had no idea what she wanted to do anymore.

Still crying a little, Quinn grabbed Joe by the cardigan, pressing her lips against his for another time. Everyone around them was watching in surprise.

Quinn was especially going to miss Joe. She was going to miss his hair. She was going to miss his smile. She was going to miss his love for his religion and his parents. She was going to miss seeing him in the God Squad with Sam and Mercedes. She was going to miss the hugs and kisses he would give her. She was going to miss his voice.

She was going to miss everything about him.

Santana and Brittany were watching from behind, awing at their sweet little moment. "Quinn…" Santana first spoke up once Quinn let go.

Mercedes held onto Sam, looking at Quinn and Joe from a distance. _The poor girl's gonna flip when she leaves Joe behind in Lima. It's so sad to see her like this._ Any possible thought of Joe and Quinn came up in Mercedes' mind.

At first it was dead silent. Then Quinn, still looking at and clinging onto Joe, whispered, "_I'm going to miss you._" Her voice cracked a little from the crying.

She knew all of the New Directions members were still watching. She was so embarrassed. If only she could rewind and make this never happen.

On the flipside, it was the truth. There's no denying the truth.

Poor, sweet Quinn Fabray.


	22. Chapter 21

Chapter Twenty-One

Quinn was stuck in her own little world pretty much today. She isolated herself from the many people in her church. She couldn't even hear the shouts coming from soulful women and men on the other side of the room. It's like living the life of a deaf girl who seemed to be always blank, showing no type of emotion.

At one point, she saw Mercedes and Sam, too. As many times as Judy said to go over and speak with them, Quinn stayed in her seat and hugged herself. She didn't want anyone from New Directions having gossipy fits about she and Joe kissing each other yesterday, nor she wanted anyone to discuss her feelings.

One thing that really stood out in Quinn's brain was the fact that her feelings were getting the best of her. Mostly sadness and emptiness. Almost all that time during church, she had blank faces when speaking with people. And when slow-paced church music was playing and the choir sung like angels, she was on the urge to cry.

She felt like she's cried enough already, but can't stop. There had to be something she could do.

She excused herself to the church's bathroom for a second just to splash some water on her face. Nothing worked. She ate a piece of the breakfast bar she stored in her purse. Nothing worked. She even stepped out for a couple of minutes to get some air. Still nothing.

Quinn believed that she was really losing her mind. She didn't know what to do or say anymore. She always looked depressed even when things cheerful stood right in front of her face. She won't even focus on conversation.

The Sunday afternoon dining hour was even worse. At first she would talk about how nice the service was with her mother on the way to the restaurant that she'd pick. Now she won't even pick a place to go or mention the service in their conversation.

Actually, there _was_ no conversation. Whenever Judy asked how things went, she'd just shrug and say, "It's was okay."

Was she coming down with something? It didn't seem like it. Unfortunately, homesickness had something to do with most of what happened today, and she didn't even leave Lima yet.

Every time she had the chance to, she'd look at her mother and think of all the past memories she'd have with her.

God, there were so many. She remembered when she graduated from kindergarten, and they went to the McDonalds with the kiddie area. Judy would film little Quinn playing with the other kids.

Then when it was her ninth birthday, she and her mother would go to the beach and have a beach party. Judy decorated the place with balloons and a lot of pink and white decorations. It was all perfect. The games, decorations, food, presents—all perfect. All of Quinn's cousins and friends would attend. Even Frannie was there. Too bad Frannie doesn't show up as much anymore.

Quinn also remembered ribbon-pinning at her school for eighth grade graduation. She would wear her best white dress with the cropped sweater and flats. Judy wouldn't miss a moment of the girl showing off her bright little smile and her cute little poses.

Those were all the times when the blonde was happy and full of energy. It all went away just overnight.

Just yesterday, she was having a great time with New Directions at the amusement park. She shared a lot of laughs and screams, played a lot of games, won many prizes, ate with everyone, and seemed to have forgotten all of her depressing thoughts of graduation.

And within seconds, it all came back and stuck with her for the rest of the evening up to Sunday.

Quinn didn't want to be sad. She loved the people she knew and the activities she did. However, sadness was dragging her away from reality. It took away her other feelings, her energy, and her thoughts away.

She hadn't been this distressed in her life.

And now the girl was curled up in a ball under the covers in her bedroom, blocking out the light shining in the room. She might as well have it be dark anyways since that's all she ever sees now.

For some reason, a thought came up out of nowhere that she'd never expect to come at all: she didn't want to see Joe today.

It was pretty ironic being that Joe is Quinn's boyfriend and really loves her for who she is. He gave her everything. He gave her flowers, a couple of soft, sweet kisses, and pictures from the carnival. He gave her a good time back at Valentine's Day when Quinn thought she wasn't even going. He gave her his sweet, smooth voice whenever he sung, whether it was for her or somebody else.

He even gave her things that he couldn't physically hand her: confidence, happiness, love, and dignity. So why was Quinn thinking that she didn't want to see him again?

The poor girl was worn out. She was tired. Tired of being sad all of the time. Maybe that's why. However, nothing around her was going to fill that void of joy and eagerness. That part in Quinn's heart was empty. It was the Hurricane Katrina of emotions.

A blonde head poked its way through Quinn's doorway. "Quinnie? Sweetheart?" Her mother seemed very concerned. She spotted her daughter under the covers and hiding her face. She stepped in and sat on the edge of the bed next to her.

"Quinn. Are you awake? Talk to me, baby."

Her daughter turned slightly over in the bed, showing off the same blank face from church earlier that day. It was a little different, though, because she seemed as if she was going to cry.

"Honey, are you okay? You've been in bed since we got home from church. Are you not feeling well?"

Yes.

"No, I'm fine." The girl took a throw pillow and hugged it.

Judy rubbed Quinn's forearm and looked at how weak she was. What happened to her daughter? She wasn't supposed to be like this. Before she was happy and excited. Now she's emotionally vague, moping around the house.

"Did something happen at the amusement park yesterday with you and your friends?"

Why did she have to ask that?

Other than crying in front of her best friends and her boyfriend, she didn't remember Judy even seeing the girl with dried-up tears on her face, running up to her room and crying her eyes out some more. She didn't remember anything after that little chain of events. Maybe she was going through a hangover or something. An emotional hangover. Maybe that's it.

Judy couldn't hear an answer from her. Maybe she didn't understand what she was talking about. "After dropping off Joe at home, you came home, running to your room and locking the door. You didn't even speak to me."

_I locked the door? When did I do that?_ Quinn wasn't sure of anything anymore.

"I…I don't know."

That's it? She doesn't know?

All her mother replied with was a shrug, rubbing the girl some more on her arm. Whatever was up, she hoped that she'll get better in time.

"Well, someone came to talk to you."

Who came unannounced?

"Really? Who?"

Judy got up off the bed and walked back to the door. Where was she going? She just walked away with no explanation of who came to visit the blonde. So unlike her.

Quinn sat up in the bed, still holding onto the throw pillow. Her eyes were directed to the door. It was almost fully open. All she saw at first was Judy's shadow. She was whispering to someone in the hallway. The girl waited patiently to see who it was.

Joe Hart.

Quinn could tell easily by a silhouette of a male's body with long, flowing dreadlocks on his head.

She wasn't going to be mad that he came over here, though. She know she was thinking that she didn't want to see him, which was still true. But she can't just yell at him and tell him to leave, especially after all they've been through. Maybe he came over here for a little Bible session. Maybe he came to help cure her from this depression.

What _did_ he come over here for?

Quinn struck a nerve when the boy turned around and walked in to see her. He changed out of his church clothes before coming over here. He had a blue Bible in his hands and a worried facial expression.

"Quinn. Hey."

The girl loosened her grip on the throw pillow and stared blankly at Joe. She didn't want to cause any harm. She really didn't. But she was starting to get emotional again.

Joe placed his Bible on the bed next to the blonde, and knelt down on his knees beside her. His eyes still dazzled like all the other times Quinn gazed at him. His hand fell on the girl's hand, caressing it in hopes that she's still not upset about yesterday.

"I figured I'd come here to check on you and see if you're alright."

It sure didn't seem that way. The girl looked at him, giving him no response, and biting her bottom lip. _Calm down, Quinn Fabray. Calm down. Don't break down in front of Teen Jesus now. He's trying to help out._ She repeated that thought about several times, but it never clicked.

Joe felt bad for her. He needed to help her. How _was_ she going to help her?

"Quinn? Can you talk to me?"

No response.

"Quinn?"

The blonde bit her lip harder. It felt like she was stabbing her mouth to death. She didn't know what she wanted to say to him. She didn't want to sound so weepy in front of him.

Joe seemed as scared as he was frightened. The girl wasn't saying anything back to him, and he wanted to know why. Well, he _knew_ why, but she still couldn't get a word out to the poor blonde.

Quinn sniffled a little. Her lips trembled again, but no tears came down her face just yet. She did feel them coming onto her, though. "I'm…so sorry, Joe."

The dreadlocked boy shook his head at her. "No, no, no. It's alright, Quinn. It's okay."

"No, it's not!" The girl finally sat up looking at Joe, her eyes watering at every passing second. Joe could see that she was about to cry again. "Everything's not alright! Everything's _terrible_!" She felt her voice rising and cracking, and a tear falling off her face.

Joe bit his lip as well, watching the girl as she let tears drop on her face and to the gray tank top she put on in place of her church clothes. He didn't want to see her like this. This was not the Quinn he knew. He didn't feel so worried like this when he was around her before.

"Quinn…"

Joe's voice trailed off as he watched the girl cover her face with her hands and sob. He swore he heard her say something. It wasn't clear with her hands covering her face. "I can't do this! I can't!"

Teen Jesus immediately sat on the edge of the bed and hugged the poor girl in his arms. She freely cried on his shoulder, still covering her face with her hands. Joe continuously rubbed her shoulder and kissed her on the forehead.

"I know, Quinn. I know. I'm so sorry."

Joe tried everything he could. He patted her on the back, rubbed her shoulder, kissed her forehead, wiped a couple of tears away. Nothing. She still continued to cry.

Lucky for him, he had a small package of tissues in his pocket. He opened it and handed one to her girlfriend. She dabbed the tissue on her face, drying some of the tears off.

"Graduating and going to Yale is putting a lot of weight on your shoulders. I know it would for me if I were you."

Quinn coughed a little from the sobbing, covering her mouth with the tissue in her hands. She looked over at Joe with questioning eyes. "You…you would?"

"Of course. I mean, I definitely wouldn't want to leave you as much as you not wanting to leave me. Plus, there's everyone in Glee club—"

Quinn shook her head. "All this talk of Rachel and Santana going to New York, Mercedes going to California, you and Sam staying here—I can't think about it. I can't do this anymore."

Joe nodded. Poor thing was going to be so upset once graduation hits. He totally understood.

He placed another soft kiss on Quinn's forehead, bringing one of his hands down to her hand and holding it. She shook a little. She was so worked up.

"Is there anything I can do for you to keep your mind off graduation?" Joe asked, and he grabbed the Bible off the bed. "I figured that we read some sections in the Old Testament together or something like that."

Quinn shook her head.

"Or I can sing you something. I brought my guitar so you can hear me play if you like."

She seemed a little calmer, but just barely. "You…you sing for me?"

Joe nodded. He hugged her a little, and then let go, heading into the hallway and grabbing the guitar that leaned against the wall. He sat back on the bed and held it in his arms, with the guitar strap snug over his shoulder.

Quinn laid back down on her pillow, shifting her weight so she's laying on her left side, and looking up at her wise dreadlocked boyfriend as he started strumming to an unfamiliar tune.

"_She's the light of my life; she makes everything feel right. She makes me feel like no one's done before…_"

Quinn knew immediately that the song Joe was singing was for her. It was so sweet and original of him. She continued to listen.

"_What can I do when I'm feeling so blue? Nothing else can cure me, that's the truth…_"

That lyric was the same thing Quinn was thinking when Joe came to mind. Nothing or nobody really cheered her up as much as Joe did. They tried, but they never reached that level.

"_I took a look into her eyes; She took away my cries. She fixed me up from the heartbreaks and goodbyes…_"

She didn't smile fully, but Quinn started to feel a little better when Joe continued to sing for her. Her tears dried completely. Her eyes were filled with harmony once Joe went right back to the chorus.

"_She's the light of my life; she makes everything feel right. She makes me feel like no one's done before_," Joe continued. "_Oh, she's the light of my life; she makes my day shine bright. She helps me get through every day and night…_" After singing those lyrics, he slowed down a little on his guitar to end the song. "_Oh, the light of my life…_"

By the time he was done, he looked at Quinn. She had a mild smile on her face. It was mild, but it was still a smile.

"It's not the whole thing, but I gave you a portion to see what you thought of it."

Quinn's hand lifted slowly to Joe's hand on the guitar. "I loved it."

Joe could still sense a little depression in her somewhere. He wanted her out of that bed so she can feel energetic and happy again. He didn't know what else he could do.

"Can I do something else to help you? I'm just trying to help you get through this thing, but it doesn't look like it's helping much."

Quinn slightly shrugged. "Not really."

Teen Jesus leaned the guitar against Quinn's night table with the lamp on it and turned back to her. He huffed, thinking of every possibility of trying to help her. Quinn didn't seem to want it much, though.

"I know you're trying to help me, Joe," the girl spoke up, and Joe looked into her eyes. "But I need to do this on my own, I think."

"By laying in bed on a nice day, feeling sad?"

Quinn shrugged.

Joe put a hand back on Quinn's and continuously caressed it. "Tell me what I can do. You can't just stay here all day."

"Why not?"

"Remember what you said about life being too short?"

"I remember, but life won't be life once I leave you guys."

"That's why we did that whole outing thing yesterday."

"I know that, but Rachel's little get-together didn't help it at all. I pretty much embarrassed myself in front of everyone. Thinking about what I'll miss once I leave…"

Joe placed a finger over Quinn's bare lips, and then caressed her soft face. "You need to stop thinking about that. You need something else to do. Something else to feel. I want to help you the best I can. I want to do this for you."

Quinn hesitated a little. Joe was really trying his best to help. He was really trying. The blonde had to give in somehow.

She took Joe's hand and held it by her side. "How would you help me?"

"I have an idea."

* * *

Thank God Joe was able to get the girl out of bed this time. When he first walked into the room and saw her, a part of him assumed that she was sick with something. Good thing she was willing to try what Joe planned out for today.

He held onto the girl's hand, taking her downstairs and into the dining room. There were about three boxes: two with pictures Quinn and her mother took, and one with many decorations inside. Two empty albums sat by the bowl of fruit, and a couple of permanent markers rested in front of Joe and Quinn once they sat down.

Quinn looked around, grabbing one of the photos from the box. It was a picture of the whole God Squad at the Valentine's Day party. "You took my pictures?"

Joe took our another picture of him, Quinn, Mercedes, and Sam at the amusement park. "Your mother copied them from your digital camera, actually. Others are hers that she copied as well. I thought that maybe we could arrange these in the right order…which I probably think they are, according to what your mother said. Then put them in these scrapbooks, and you can take them to Yale with you."

Quinn smirked. "So, like an _end of the year_ art project."

"Exactly."

The blonde turned back to the pictures. There were so many memories put on this table. Was she going to handle looking at them when working on this thing with Joe? She wasn't really sure. But at least she'll have them all when she goes to New Haven, and not cry every night about not seeing her best friends.

Joe smiled at her, rubbing her shoulder. "Will you please do it with me? You'll be fine, trust me."

She couldn't say no to that adorable smile on the boy's face. She smiled back. "Okay."

Eager to get started, Joe grabbed a box of pictures and one of the albums put on the table. He really hoped Quinn would enjoy making these scrapbooks with him. Not only they got to work together productively, but they also get to prepare Quinn for when she goes to Connecticut.

Quinn grabbed the other one and sorted through the many pictures of her and her friends in them. She giggled at the one picture she took of Joe, Artie, Sam, and Rory. They were posing in front of a billboard for a Batman movie, and they had the goofiest superhero poses.

For the first album, they put the pictures in order from the first-taken picture, which was of Quinn and Santana in preschool, to the last-taken one in the first set, which was of Quinn at freshman connections with Finn Hudson.

For the second album, they got the second set of pictures in the other box. They put them in order from the first-taken picture, which was of Quinn first putting on her Cheerios uniform in freshman year, to the last-taken picture in the second set, which was of Quinn with the rest of the God Squad at the amusement park.

Joe loved looking at Quinn in all of these pictures. The same cute little smile was in them on her pretty little face. She wore the most adorable dresses when she was younger and growing up to the girl she is now. She had the cutest hair styles and the sassiest poses. He couldn't help but giggle at each one.

Quinn turned to him and smirked again. "Joe, what are you laughing at?"

"I'm…sorry." Joe tried to take away his smile, but he couldn't. _I hope Quinn won't think that I'm making fun of her._ "I just love how cute you look in these."

"Are you trying to flirt with me, Joe?"

They both chuckled. This turned out to be better than Quinn ever expected.

In between putting the pictures in the proper places, Quinn explained most of the earlier pictures with Joe. Most of them had to do with either family reunions, birthday parties, or Friday night dinners with her mom, dad, and older sister. Joe, as always, enjoyed listening to each of the girl's classic tales. He got to know more about her each second.

Once they were done positioning pictures in the right places, they got to decorate it. Quinn chose most of the purple, pink, blue, and yellow stickers and mini flowers for putting on. Joe placed about three yellow and pink flowers on the first album's cover, and three blue and purple flowers on the second album's cover.

Quinn liked how creative Joe was. She wondered if he's done these type of things with his parents when he was homeschooled. Whatever he did, he was certainly doing it well.

It took about two and a half hours, but both of the scrapbooks were complete. Surprisingly, Quinn loved the way they turned out. Some of the pages even had glitter decorations on the sides. And gosh, that girl loved anything that sparkled.

Joe spotted a smile on the blonde's little face. "So, do you like how they turned out?"

"I love these," Quinn replied gleefully.

The dreadlocked boy can tell that Quinn was feeling a lot better doing these. Seeing the joyous smile growing on the blonde's face made him feel better do.

Quinn suddenly looked up at him. She was not only proud of him for helping her out, but she was blessed that she had him. At the beginning of the day, she didn't want to see him, knowing that it would make her even more depressed that she'd be leaving him behind. Now that she has these scrapbooks to look at, she'll at least have a little piece of him and her other friends with her when she transfers to Yale.

Quinn attacked Teen Jesus with one of her loving hugs, tightly wrapping her arms around him and never letting go. Joe noticed how warm she was. Probably because Quinn was such a warm-hearted girl.

"Thank you so much, Joe." Her voice was a little muffled due to her face almost pressing onto Joe's shoulder. She could feel a couple of strands of his dreads on her forehead.

Joe rubbed the blonde's back, comforting her with every bit of love he could give. "You're welcome."

After five minutes of hugging everything out, they finally let go and looked back at the albums on the table. There was so much mess to clean up. Glitter sparkled in the ceiling lights and made a rainbow effect. The little flower decorations were scattered on the floor. Other decorations were cluttering the table as well.

"I'll help you clean. I mean, I'm the one who came up with the idea, so—"

"But you're a guest. Guests don't have to clean."

"Only if they're not willing to. I'm willing, Quinn. I'm willing to help you any way."

They got out a couple of plastic bags and a broom from the pantry, and cleared away every bit of trash they saw. Quinn couldn't hardly believe that they used so much today. She figured that the place would be spotless with a little glitter areas. They've really outdone themselves.

Once the mess were done, Quinn and Joe caught themselves leaning against the kitchen counter, drinking a glass of fruit punch Judy kept in the refrigerator. They were so worn out, but they made a lot of progress.

Quinn tapped at her empty glass on the counter, and then looked up at Joe. He seemed to be a lot happier now that he got Quinn out of bed and doing something fun together.

Quinn still found it unfortunate that he has to stay in Lima, while she takes the plane all the way down to New Haven, Connecticut. She won't be sitting next to him at second and fifth period. She won't be sharing religious issues around the table with him, Mercedes, and Sam at God Squad meetings. She won't be sitting on the bleachers with him, talking about what's been going on with each other and watching the Titans football players and the Cheerios working out.

Everything will be new and different. She'll have new classmates to sit next to for each class she takes. She'll be doing different afterschool activities and even part-time jobs for paying bills and whatnot. She'll be hanging out with a roommate, spending hours on studying and finishing projects.

Her high school life was almost over. She won't be the same old blonde, popular Cheerio that everyone knew her as. She won't be the same teenage girl with the past problems with boyfriends, and now having a fourth one at her house, cheering her up through these depressing times. She'll be a whole new Quinn Fabray.

It was clear to her now. She didn't want to not see Joe. She wanted to see him. It's the only thing she'll have that's the same about herself other than the same adorable smile he always spots.

"So…what do you want to do now?"

Joe had just finished the rest of his fruit punch, and was now thinking of another activity he and Quinn could do. "It all depends. What do you want to do?"

"We could watch a movie, read your Bible, write a song—"

"You'd be willing to write a song with me?"

"Sure, if you're willing."

Joe nodded with a smile. "Of course."

* * *

They had been in Quinn's room for about thirty minutes, thinking of ideas for a song and then writing lyrics down on a sheet of paper. Joe strummed his guitar strings to find a melody. Quinn listened closely and critiqued each note.

"That sounds good," Quinn replied to a note Joe just made.

"Do you want to practice it together?"

"Sure."

Joe started playing the song on his guitar, and Quinn patted her leg to the beat. She loved how charming Joe's guitar sounded when he started playing it.

Joe listened to the very soulful voice of Quinn Fabray as she looked on her lyrics sheet and sung the first few lines. "_You…I'm lost without you. Who else is there for me? What else can I do?_"

"_Oh, I never felt this emptiness inside of me before. What happened to us, baby? I'm left all alone._"

Quinn loved listening to Joe's part of the song. He sounded so raspy at times, and smooth at others. She wondered if he won a Glee-off between him and one of the other guys. It would probably be a close tie with Artie or Blaine, though. They both had really nice voices.

Quinn smiled sweetly as Joe continued to play the thing some more. She sang along with him this time.

"_One day, maybe, we can reunite, baby. It will be alright…_" They continued with the next few lyrics. "_I'll be able to hug you, kiss you, love you; stay there and wait up for me tonight…_"

The guitar continued to play, and the two lovebirds continued to sing. But then, Joe missed a note and ended up messing up the melody. Quinn noticed this and looked up at him. He had a frustrated look on his face when his direction went towards his guitar.

"Joe…"

The girl's soft voice brought the alert Joe right out of him. "Are you okay?"

"N…No, I'm fine."

He certainly didn't seem fine. Quinn wanted to know what seized his mind now. It wasn't Quinn's looks for sure. He wasn't even pointing any attention towards her. His eyes fell from the guitar to the floor, thinking of all the right ways he could really tell Quinn what he was _really_ feeling.

All of the talks and thoughts of Quinn saying that this'll be the last few moments she got to spend with him and New Directions spun in Joe's brain. They didn't appear to be last moments. There was plenty more in store for the Christian couple.

Prom came up in Joe's mind next. Prom was the biggest night of the school year, especially for juniors and seniors at McKinley. Prom was especially the biggest night of the year for Quinn, according to what Joe's been hearing from many New Directions members recently.

She's been in the running for prom queen since last year. Thanks to the wicked McKinley High students, though, Kurt Hummel was crowned queen. Joe, even though it was back when he didn't even know McKinley, felt bad for Kurt after they came up with a secret ballot to sabotage him.

He also felt bad for Quinn as well because she's been working so hard. On the contrary, though, he didn't see the big point. She's already so pretty to him. He was the prettiest girl he knew. He wondered what she would reply with once he asked her. She'd probably spill that _going with someone your age_ crap on him or something.

Or maybe not. They're boyfriend and girlfriend now. It wouldn't hurt.

"What are you thinking about?"

"Well…"

_Damn it, Joe. Get your head together!_ Joe fiddled with his fingers, trying to say this to Quinn the best he can. Every time he told himself to speak up, the same pleading speculation running through his brain. _Please say yes, Quinn Fabray. Please say yes!_

"You know all that stuff you mentioned about this being our last few times being together before your graduation?"

The blonde girl nodded.

"They don't have to be, you know? There's only and a couple of weeks left. So technically, we still have a lot to do. We can still date. We can hang out with Sam and Mercedes. We can maybe go to church sometime. I overheard something about Santana having a post-graduation party at a restaurant. So if she's willing, we both can go together with your mother."

Quinn nodded again. "Yeah, Santana's inviting everyone in New Directions with their parents, so it's okay."

Joe half smiled in relief. "And…well…Sam has been telling me about prom coming up."

"Prom?"

"Yeah. I've never been to prom before, so he's been filling me in on it. Mostly about prom king and queen nominations, and something about it being the biggest night of the year."

Joe sure did learn a lot from people. Quinn never knew he'd remember that much that Sam told him about prom. She suspected that he wanted to go with her. It's obvious to her because Joe's been stuttering a little and pausing in between sentences a lot.

"And, well…it's the biggest night for you, specifically. I heard that you didn't get much luck with prom last year. Maybe because you didn't feel appreciated by the rest of the school."

The blonde shrugged. "Yeah, pretty much."

Joe nodded. Hopefully this proposal to her was going to work, even though it wasn't as big as he thought it would be. "And…um, well…Quinn, would you want to go with me?"

"Y…You would want to go to prom with me?"

"Yeah. I asked Mr. Schue if I could perform at prom on Tuesday. He told me that New Directions were performing at prom anyways. So I asked to perform, and he said yes."

"He did?"

Teen Jesus nodded again.

"Well, I'm looking forward to hearing you sing."

"Yeah, well…I want the number to be a surprise for you, actually. Consider it as another graduation present." Joe had his eyes on the girl. She nodded with every sentence he said. It was a good sign. "So…will you go with me?"

Quinn took a moment to think about it. She could remember going with Finn last year. It was fun up to when he and Rachel's date, Jesse St. James got into a fight and removed from the prom. It upset Quinn dearly, especially with Finn starting the whole thing after seeing Jesse randomly kissing Rachel's neck. God, he was a petty little boy then.

Maybe this year could be better. The only difference that there's only one flaw: one of her opponents is Santana Lopez. Quinn couldn't lie; Santana was the next popular girl in line ever since Quinn got pregnant two years ago. But Quinn wanted this so badly. She hasn't won prom queen yet, and this is her chance. For all she knew, Santana could be beating her down to second place.

Quinn suddenly realized that she's losing her mind again. Maybe she needed to stop thinking about this whole prom queen crown thing. Besides, Joe was asking her to the prom. He was the best thing that ever happened to her. He'd probably be heartbroken if she said no. It was time to have fun instead of being competitive. It's her last year at McKinley. She needed to have fun, especially on a night of magic like this.

With a few moments of thinking, she looked up to an anxious Joe Hart sitting beside her. He had been waiting on her to give him a response. The poor guy really wanted her to go with him. He really wanted her to have another great night like all of the others.

Quinn wanted a great night as well.

"Yes."

Joe gaped excitedly. "Do…do you mean—"

"Yes, I'll go with you."

She and the dreadlocked boy grabbed each other and hugged tightly. Quinn nuzzled into Joe's neck. It was ten degrees close to a wedding proposal. She thought of prom and wedding proposals to be close to the same thing. A sweet, loving guy goes all their way to do something for or with their special girl. Then they make an empowering speech or something like that, and then pop the question.

Now, Quinn knew that she was going to have to wait a while until either she and Joe are out of college, or something happens between them and she find another loving boy for her. The blonde knew that that'll never happen since Joe is the most loving, warm-hearted boy she's been with. He's helped her a lot for the last few months. He's loved her like no one loved her before—even the badass Noah Puckerman that knocked her up in sophomore year.

Joe was so blessed to have the blonde by her side. He'd do anything for her. He wouldn't ever treat her bad. She was a treasure to her. He wanted to make her happy. He was pretty confident that this prom thing was going to work out. It'll be his first prom he's ever gone to. This would be his chance to explore what the juniors and seniors of McKinley High school did on that special, magical night.

"I hope to God you'll have the best moment of your life."

Quinn smiled happily. "I have many best moments in my life, Joe. You're in many of them, I know."

Joe smiled back. "Each moment will be better than the last. Trust me."


	23. Chapter 22

Chapter Twenty-Two

The girls in the Glee club were all making the same, unusually ironic conclusion: Joe was really a Teen Jesus. After all, he did cheer Quinn up on that one Saturday when she didn't even speak to anyone else. The poor girl wouldn't talk to anyone after that get-together at the amusement park Rachel started.

She changed back, but just a little eager and more polished. Instead of clutching her books in her arms and walking slowly, she put more pep in her step like she usually did, showing off that same glowing smile and swaying which way.

The Monday after that depression stage, she had told all the Glee girls about her change in personality. She even remembered to bring up the proposal to prom Joe offered.

Quinn received many reactions. The majority of Glee girls gasped and awed. As usual, the dumbfounded Brittany Pierce still believed that Joe was a girl, and kept asking Quinn if she was sure he wasn't a girl. Quinn thought that either her mother clearly didn't teach her common sense, or she came from a crazy family and she was adopted.

It didn't matter. Hopefully Joe wouldn't be offended or anything.

Santana, one of the nominees for prom queen, offered to take all of the girls to one of the best prom attire shops in return for a prom queen vote. As generous as that sounded, Quinn wasn't up for what Santana was going for. If only she could come up with something better.

Now, Quinn understood wholeheartedly that she herself quit the whole competitive thing for prom after Joe asked her. But she was still nominated for Christ's sakes…and up against _her_, apparently.

Quinn envied that girl. Santana was now the hottest top bitch in the whole school, although people made fun of her for her abiding love for the witty, blonde Cheerio. She now had leadership quality and recognition on the list of things that defined the Latina, including determination, being open with herself, and an attitude only her mother would love.

Quinn had determination at least. She didn't have everything else she had. She certainly didn't have that bitchy attitude and the sharp cat claws. How was she going to compete with that?

She certainly couldn't compete with the fake-diamond necklaces and dog chains that she was passing out to random students that read _Santana Lopez, Prom Queen of 2012_. They were dazzling. They had pretty writing on them. They were going like hotcakes.

Last year, it was easy for Quinn. She had pencils that read _Vote Quinn Fabray and Finn Hudson for Prom Queen of 2011_. But of course, Finn was never that really enthusiastic about the idea. Not to mention that the whole school tried to prank Kurt Hummel and made him win instead.

Quinn had to win this year. It would mean the world to her. All those stories about Judy getting prom queen at her high school was going to happen to Quinn, too. It was going to happen. She just needed a sure-fire idea that'll work against whatever Santana was trying to pull.

God, what was she going to do?

Five more students came to the table where Santana was giving the bling away.

Quinn huffed. She thought of everything. More pencils, some choreography, a song—

There goes another necklace.

A YouTube video, ITunes gift cards, posters with glitter and diamonds on them, belts with her name on them—

Two more dog tags.

Quinn couldn't give up. She needed to think of one brilliant idea. Nothing came, though. Why the hell wasn't her brain waking up and turning on that _I've got an idea_ light bulb and giving her something? Was it dead? Was it really dead?

"Quinn!"

The girl was still thinking of something she could try at the moment the dreadlocked boy ran down the hall to find her. He stopped beside her, putting his hand on the blonde's shoulder, almost making her jump.

"Hey Joe," the girl spoke up, her mind set on her own ideas for campaigning and the Latina Cheerio giving away all of her goodies.

"Hey." Joe brought her a little closer and kissed her on the cheek. Lucky for them, no one was watching.

Well, no one _nearby_ was watching them.

Rachel and Mercedes were down the hall somewhere, with Joe and Quinn both unaware of them, gushing at the simple little kiss Joe gave his girlfriend. They assumed that they were about to spot them. And with that, both girls went to class.

Joe's eyes wandered around each time Quinn peeked over his shoulder and back. "What's going on?"

This was crazy. This was absolutely crazy. She should be carrying out her prom queen plans. She doesn't even know what she's doing. She really wants to win this. She wants to regain that power she lost last year. She wants to be the next It girl that makes a difference with just a prom queen speech and a promising smile on her face. She wants to be prom queen for all the right reasons, and not just to stand next to the most popular male running. Sure, it would be nice to be popular again, but she also wants to teach the same lessons she's been learning all this time.

Joe could sense that prom was on her mind, 'cause as he spotted the blonde look back at Santana, he went towards her direction. Brittany had just pranced over, handing Santana more necklaces and dog chains and placing a soft kiss on the girl's cheek. The table where all of this was set was really decorative with a glitter-coated table cover and a black and silver sign that read _Vote Santana Lopez for Prom Queen of 2012_.

As much as he wanted to see Quinn go up and retrieve her prom queen crown, a part of him still thought that it was just some crazy popularity contest. But he wanted her to be happy, though. He didn't know at all. Of course, what would a previously homeschooled Christian boy like himself know about proms and stuff like that anyway?

"Oh, I get it now."

Quinn nodded, and then walked down the hall to find her locker. Joe followed behind. The blonde didn't want to be bothered with envying Santana anymore. She needed to focus on herself and what she's going to do before prom starts.

So far, she had nothing. Not even a poster idea could beat whatever the black-haired Cheerio had.

"Would you like me to help you with anything?" Joe asked his girlfriend as she made it to her locker to retrieve her books. "I could ask my mom to do some more craft stuff. Or I could ask Tina. She's in the home economics club, and she could probably—"

So many words were coming from Joe's mouth, and Quinn couldn't keep track. She needed something brilliant for her prom campaign. She needed something that'll attract students. What the hell was she going to do?

"I'm sorry, Joe. I really am. I understand that you want to help me." Joe nodded to her comment. "But I can handle this one. You don't have to worry about me."

The girl was going to explode. All of this thought about prom was making her head hurt. She needed something to do, say, or pass out to the McKinley High students. After last year's prom, she really didn't have much of a back-up plan for this year. A back-up plan would be brilliant by now.

Joe knelt down beside his blonde girlfriend, placing a hand on her back. "Can I be fully honest with you on something?"

Still having her mind stuck on trying to win prom queen, Quinn nodded and grabbing the rest of her books.

"I know you want to win this thing, and I'm totally down with you achieving that goal and all—"

A smile cracked on Quinn's face before facing the dreadlocked boy. "You're going to tell me that you don't see what the big point is, right?"

_How could she actually read my mind?_

"Yeah."

"Joe, I totally get it. I thought I was past this whole prom thing, especially after last year," Quinn began, getting up off the floor with her books for her next class. Teen Jesus walked beside her, listening to every word she said. "I just want to succeed more while I'm still here. I pretty much screwed up for the past two years, so…"

The dreadlocked boy understood every word. She _did_ have a lot of rough patches back in her earlier years of high school. Got pregnant by a human sex robot. Cheated on the one she always thought was _the one_. Got kicked off the Cheerios after hiding her secret so long. Not to mention the following year when she cheated on Sam and lost her junior prom queen crown.

Quinn _did_ want this. Quinn _did_ need this. Joe wasn't going to stop her. It's better to let her go at what she wants and needs than to drag her back down.

The blonde glared at the somewhat satisfied Teen Jesus and awed, bringing her arms around him and hugging the daylights out of him. "I'm sorry I'm being a little…obsessive here. I'm just anxious, that's all."

"Everything's fine, Quinn. Don't worry. I still wish you well."

Quinn's hand fell to the boy's hand, caressing his fingers softly. "Thank you." And just before she was going to plant a kiss on his cheek, the bell started to ring. Students were clearing the hallways and entering their next class. "I'll see you afterschool, right?"

"Of course."

They both split up to their next classroom. Heading onto his sixth period class, Joe's mind set on the worked up blonde and how she was going to win back what she lost. At least, like the scrapbooks from that Sunday afternoon, she'll have something to keep her mind off of leaving Ohio.

One thing's for sure: him performing at prom with New Directions and Quinn winning prom queen will fulfill Joe's promise to his girlfriend about the 2012 prom being one of the best moments of her life.

Just as long as everything goes smoothly, it'll be okay.

* * *

The girls of William McKinley sure did make prom the biggest deal of the year. Not only they'll pressure the prom king and queen campaigns and find dates to go with, but they've got to look their best.

Santana and Quinn may be enemies when it comes to prom night, but they do agree on that fact that the perfect dress, shoes, corsage, and hairstyle is an extra bonus to that one hopeful being crowned queen. They remembered outdoing themselves with the long, fancy dresses they wore at junior prom. Quinn loved all the comments she received about impersonating a teen Cinderella.

Judy taught the blonde a lot about dressing up when she told the story of her aunt dressing up for a pageant down in Las Vegas, Nevada. Boy, great aunt Sharon sure did become a natural at these types of things. She gave Judy advice on picking the right dress: what size to get, figuring our your style in terms of your personality—she taught her everything, and passed it down to her teenage daughter.

All of that made Quinn into the prom queen-worthy girl she is today.

And now she was in the back seat of Santana's car, awaiting to make it to the mall and to Giselle's Grande Dresses. To her left, Rachel and Mercedes were chatting up a storm about prom dresses as they looked through Giselle's Grande Dresses catalogue.

Rachel pointed out a lady posing in an ambrosial yellow dress. The straps of the dress wrapped around the lady's neck, giving her the ability to show off her smooth back. A sparkly necklace hung on her neck, matching the sequins attached to that long, beautiful prom dress. The dress had a somewhat tight-fitting bodice with dazzling sequins on them, attached to a lacy skirt with glitter covering it. It was so elegant. She thought it was perfect for at least one of the girls.

"How do you feel about wearing this one?" the brunette asked Mercedes, showing her the dress on the catalogue page.

The girl playfully scoffed. "Girl, I do _not_ suit yellow like that."

Quinn looked on with Rachel and saw the dress she was talking about. "I don't know, Mercedes. You'd look wonderful in that."

"Yeah, if I were about five sizes smaller than this." The girl showed off her slim but husky stomach. "Sorry, Rach, but I'd much more fit a better-fitting, dark colored dress as opposed to that. Maybe you could wear it or something."

_Really?_

Before, hardly that many people gave Rachel a nice-enough comment like that. It was always something about her hideous animal sweaters, her knee-high socks, or her librarian looks. They were all the same and rude, some different and meaner than the last. For Mercedes to say that was considerate of her.

Rachel looked back at the dress in the catalogue, impressed. "You think so?"

Mercedes nodded. "Yellow, blue, or pink would definitely suit you."

"Are you sure? I think this dress would look pretty on you. I mean, you were the one that wanted the dress…and the guy."

"Oh, I have the guy, definitely," Mercedes replied, thinking of her blonde knight in shining armor, Sam Evans.

Rachel and Quinn giggled at that comment. They felt good that Mercedes was no longer insecure about going to prom without a date now that she had Sam. The poor girl was lonely before junior prom last year. She worried that she wouldn't have anyone to dance with, until Sam came to the rescue that wonderful evening.

Quinn smiled, looking out the car window. At least Mercedes didn't have to deal with her date fighting someone else's and getting removed. Lucky her.

Mercedes and Rachel both turned to the blonde, still thinking about her quite darling romance with Teen Jesus. They both were very proud of her. She deserved to have someone who really understood and cared for her after all those years of torment and sacrifice.

"So Quinn," Rachel spoke up, "tell us about Joe. Are you matching? Are you going to surprise him? What's your style for this year's prom?"

Oh, here we go again.

Quinn was pretty much getting used to the girls gossiping about her relationship with Joe. They would go behind her back and whisper any possible scoops on dating or make-out sessions. They'll blush to every time the eager Christian boy with dreads ran over to her to plant one of his infamous kisses on her cheek, or show off one of his cute little smirks.

Even though Quinn and Joe were losing a little privacy by some of the Glee girls, they found it bittersweet that they gushed over their relationship. It seemed funny to Quinn that each moment after being with the boy, they always want details on the latest.

Speaking of the latest, Quinn didn't really know about the prom dress that she wanted. She discussed it with Joe before, but he didn't really give much of a specific answer. He just replied with, "Anything that you feel comfortable wearing is fine with me."

The blonde found it really sweet that Joe would be willing to go with whatever her heart and guts told her to. Unfortunately, the two lovebirds' minds weren't settled on a certain color. This would be the perfect chance for Quinn to surprise him. After all, he's been surprising her all this time. He would always give her the many perfect surprises, like the garden area to rest after the amusement park games and rides, the scrapbooks, the songs.

Looks like Quinn has a lot of catching up to do.

"I don't really know yet," she responded to Rachel's oncoming questions. "We never really talked about a dress or anything. He just wants me to be comfortable in whatever I get."

Rachel nodded understandably. She expected more of an answer from her, though. Of course, that's the good old _determined to win prom queen_ Quinn Fabray she knew back in the past. There had to be something else.

Turns out that there _was_ something else.

"But I _am_ going to surprise him, though."

According to the girls' squeals, that was one of Quinn's best ideas for prom this year—and they didn't even make it to the dress shop in the mall yet.

Rachel placed her hand over Quinn's, grinning at the girl from ear to ear at her pleasant idea. "Challenging, Quinn! You've got to let us help you."

Mercedes lifted her hand. "If you want a color check, I'm free."

Brittany whirled around to find Quinn in the back. "Yeah, and I help find the both of you guys' corsages."

And as usual, the girls ignored Brittany's discombobulating knowledge on Joe's gender.

"Quinn, this is such a brilliant plan. I'm positive Joe's going to love you in whatever dress you try on," Rachel chimed back in.

This made the blonde smile widely. "Really?"

Mercedes and Rachel nodded simultaneously. Brittany didn't really pay attention to what the girls were conversing about back there anymore. Santana, still driving at the wheel, just gave an eye roll, which neither of the girls even noticed.

"_Good luck trying to beat me in the race for queen while you're at it_," the girl mumbled, turning another corner.

Oh Santana.

Mercedes huffed at that girl's careless comment. One day, she's going to want to do what Quinn's doing, and it'll be Quinn's turn to scoff at that pleading Latina. One day it's gonna happen!

Or not. Anything could happen.

"Santana, are we really going to start another hustle with Quinn again? Remember Valentine's Day? Lesbian girls, God Squad performance at Sugar's party, getting mad at Joe…"

"Yes, I remember," Santana responded, "but all of that's been flushed down the toilet. This is the present now, Aretha. Circa 2012."

_That took place in 2012, too, if you hadn't noticed._ Mercedes ignored the girl, and continued looking out of the car window.

Rachel's head craned at the Latina Cheerio while she was still driving the vehicle. "Yeah, and you don't even know if you're going to be prom queen this year, Santana. Things happen unexpectedly, you know."

One of Santana's hands left the steering wheel, with an index finger pointing to her head. "Uh, I can predict the future, Berry. I'm totally sure. My plan to rehabilitate Dave Karofsky carried out quite nicely—"

Quinn scoffed. "And yet, you couldn't even manage to win prom queen back then."

Santana gaped in shock, while her girlfriend snickered off to the side. "_Ouch…_"

"Oh whatever, Brittany!"

Quinn folded her arms, staring at the lesbian girl going past many green lights. "Let's make this a fair fight, Santana. I don't want another argument like a few months ago. Joe was only two or three days new at McKinley, and you just flipped off on him for some crazy reason."

Santana huffed once more. She did have a rough time—and the biggest headache—dealing with bickering with the short-haired Cheerio back then. She hated fighting with her. And they've been friends since preschool. They couldn't just waste a long-lasting friendship like that.

"Fine. And he's not really a bad guy if you ask me."

"I know. I'm dating him."

Mercedes couldn't help but giggle at Quinn's response. She can be so cute sometimes when she or someone else brought Joe and her relationship with him up in a conversation. _That's our Quinn Fabray._

Quinn overheard Mercedes' giggling and smirked. She couldn't blame her, though. Although she seemed bashful at times, talking about Joe was one of the things that made her feel safe with the girls in Glee club. She loved how loquacious the girls were when they discussed boys she's dating.

_Those are my girls alright._

* * *

It had been about an hour and twenty minutes, but they finally made it to the mall parking lot. It was an utter relief too. The girls needed to stretch their legs out from just sitting in the car for so long.

Grabbing her black leather purse from the front seat, Santana climbed out of the car, closed it, and then locked every door once the girls were standing and ready.

"Okay, I hope you guys are ready to shop 'till you drop," she spoke, with Rachel and Brittany doing fist pumps. Quinn couldn't believe Rachel could get any wilder than this. "Now, who all's on a limit?"

Mercedes rolled her eyes. "Really, Santana?" The other girls laughed to that.

"I'm just kidding. My mother kind of joked around like that and asked about limits when I went shopping for homecoming in sophomore year, if that makes any sense."

Quinn had the biggest smile on her face. "Oh, I definitely remember that," she agreed, giving off one of her signature hand raises.

Brittany skipped alongside Santana, grabbing her arm and walking into the mall with her. Rachel, Mercedes, and Quinn followed.

Once they entered through the automatic doors, they took a look around from where they were standing. In front of them sat little vending machines containing varieties of candy. Blue and pink neon lights lit up the south area of the mall, leading up to the middle.

Kids were dragging their parents to food and toy areas, while other teenagers chatted amongst each other, texting on their phones or heading off to a clothing store.

Brittany took many glances around the southern entrance. "It looks like the place where Queen Frostine lives," she echoes, wandering around at the sight of neon lights and bubble gum balls in one of the machines.

Santana tried hiding the growing smile on her face. Brittany is one adorable, teenaged kid. But prom was the most important thing on the list of to-dos for today. Hopefully, she can get her mind of the witty Cheerio.

"So, where is this so-called _best dress shop in Lima_ place we should be looking in?" Rachel spoke up, trying to figure out the best route to go on.

The sassy Cheerio walked around the candy machines towards an escalator that sat in the middle of the mall. "Up here, come on." One by one, the girls got on and waited for the moving staircase to bring them up to the second floor.

If it's one thing the girls loved about this place, it was how big it was compared to the many other malls in Lima. The length of the building stretched out so far that it would need at least twenty meter sticks to get across. Many trendy shops were located in this particular mall, especially on the second floor.

Every time Santana personally came here, whether it was with just Brittany or a couple of other girls, it felt like living in the biggest mansion ever known—and it was a guilty pleasure moment.

They turned away from the escalator once they got off, and walked diagonally towards an entrance with a sign above them that read _Giselle's Grande Dresses_ in cursive.

The inside of the shop was even better. The floor was covered with white carpet, making it even more comfortable to walk around in. The ceiling had a highly-decorated chandelier with many diamonds. As the light bulb shone, the diamonds nearly sparkled each and every end of the room.

Mannequins stood at almost each area they went, sporting a stylish prom or bridesmaid dress with some darling accessories. Other dresses were put on racks or hung on the wall. In a separate room from the dresses, accessories such as crowns, bracelets, necklaces, shoes, and purses lay perfectly on the shelves and in the cases.

The girls couldn't believe how clean and elegant the place looked. It was better than any clothing shop they've been in before.

Quinn, placing a hand on her hip, checked out a somewhat short prom dress put on a female mannequin. It was lacy on the skirt part, and the bodice had many sequins covered on it. A sparkly necklace with a peace sign on it lay comfortably on the neck, and sparkly high heels sat nicely on the feet.

"Damn, Santana," the blonde spoke up with a sass-like attitude, carefully touching the skirt part of the prom dress on display. "This place is amazing."

Santana whirled around with a massive smile on her face. "I know, right? I told you, girls, that this is the best place for dress shopping."

Rachel couldn't believe her eyes. There were so many dresses to try on. The girls were going to be here for a while, she was sure. "I'm loving this place already!" she exclaimed.

Just before they could split up, a woman in a purple dress suit walked up to them. She had the most charming smile on her face, accompanied with the sparkle in her eyes and earrings. She was holding a clipboard in her arms, and a pen was in her right hand.

"Hello ladies," she greeted. "I am Mindy, one of the employees here at Giselle's Grande Dresses. Would you like some help?"

Santana stood before the group of McKinley girls and shook her head. "That's okay. We're just going to look around first."

Mindy nodded. "Very well. If you see anything you like or need help with anything, let me know at the front counter. I hope you all find something nice."

Santana grinned. "Thank you."

As Mindy returned to the front desk, Santana turned back to the girls. "Okay, I came up with a system that'll hopefully work. We each find up to two or three dresses to try on, and meet back at the fitting room. If you find something that looks good on you and fits, great. If not, we can still keep looking. _Operation: Prom Dress_ ends at 6:15, so we can't stay long."

Quinn's eyebrows furrowed. _Operation: Prom Dress? Since when was this a mission? The last time I checked, we're just looking for dresses to wear next Saturday._

"Why 6:15?"

"I have to be home at 6:45. It's kind of a time limit thing with my mom and all."

Makes sense.

Mercedes clapped her hands together and stepped next to Santana. "You heard her. Let's get a move-on."

Santana smiled, putting a hand on Mercedes' shoulder. "Classic."

Santana and Brittany headed towards the window area, and the other three walked further down towards the back of the shop.

Quinn thoroughly for the perfect dress she can try on. God, there were so many. Though on the other hand, there were some that didn't even look like prom dresses. Some of the multi-colored, long ones looked like regular-old summer dresses. Others had either the back or the chest out. Quinn was definitely grossed out by those. She wondered if porn stars wore those.

"Oh, I found one," the blonde heard Rachel call out. She followed her voice to find Rachel and Mercedes in front of a rack of dresses. The one Rachel found was long and green. The bodice had no sleeves, but fully wrapped around the whole back and chest, and the collar seemed snug with sequins on them.

Would Rachel Berry, of all people, consider wearing that to prom?

Quinn didn't think so.

"Uh…Rachel, I don't think so," she spoke up, observing the dress one more time.

Rachel pouted. "Why not?"

Mercedes snorted in laughter. "It's hideous."

Quinn nodded in agreement. "And dark green is definitely not your color. Maybe yellow or pink like Mercedes mentioned earlier."

The black-haired girl lifted her hand in the air. "Isn't that the truth?" she responded, and then turned back to Rachel. "Rachel Berry, stood corrected once again."

Rachel had to admit that there was a weird feeling about actually trying the dress on. Sure, she thought the style looked nice now, but imagine having to wear that on the gymnasium floor in the sacred McKinley High School.

Mercedes patted the short brunette on her back. "Girl, don't fret. We have plenty of time to look." She semi-twisted towards Quinn's direction. "And we'll especially be looking round about for this girl's dress, now aren't we?"

Forgetting about finding herself a dress, Rachel clapped and squealed for Quinn. Jesus, that girl couldn't contain her excitement. "Oh, Joe's going to be so happy, Quinn."

Quinn shrugged. "Well, we have to look for a dress first."

That was the truth.

The three followed each other to different racks to find something for each other to wear.

Quinn looked high and low for something she and the two others could wear to prom. There were so many choices. How could she even pick? Please, prom dress. Let that one perfect prom dress just peek out from in between those racks and be the one that Quinn chooses to sway around in on prom night!

The blonde already had a dress in her arms, which was protected by a plastic cover-up, that Mercedes found for her. It was a rich white. The bodice had sequins going down the center of the front. The skirt part was lacy and short. Hard to believe that someone like Mercedes would even consider a short dress for that girl.

As much as Quinn loved it herself, she didn't want to be too…well, _revealing_. The skirt obviously made her legs the prey of the prom. Guys with their dates will stare at Quinn, looking up and down at those long legs, wishing they could run their fingers up and down them.

Plus, Joe is a wholeheartedly, religious boy. All the talks about sex was getting down to the core of her brain, trying to bring some sense into her. She was not looking forward to another lecture from neither her mother nor Joe's parents.

Abnormally Mr. Hart, of course.

The blonde searched some more. Only a couple of minutes left before she had to meet up with the other girls and try on the dresses they found. She had to move fast.

And then, her eyes fell on that one perfect dress.

Quinn found something lavender in between a couple of other long dresses on a rack. This one had spaghetti straps, but highly decorated with sequins on them, not missing one spot. The bodice looked snug, being separated by the skirt with a thick, sequin waist. The somewhat asymmetrical skirt extended almost all the way down to the feet, and had two or three thin layers. It was silky, and had a couple frilly parts.

She loved this. She most absolutely loved this. Now all she needed were some heels, hair accessories, and any other finishing touches to go with it, and she'll be complete.

The blonde looked around. Brittany and Santana were headed towards the fitting room area, awaiting for the other girls to get their dresses ready.

Quinn decided on keeping this lavender dress secret until she tries it on. She hid it under the white dress Mercedes found for her, and snuck her way over to the accessories side.

_My mom's gonna love this_, the girl thought in the back of her mind. When she got back home, Judy Fabray was going to see her beautiful daughter in one of the most prettiest dresses she could find.

_The girls are going to love this._ Quinn smirked. She immediately remembered Rachel and Mercedes' squeals after hearing about the dress being a surprise for Joseph.

Joseph. Joe Hart. The name repeated as Quinn looked through some hair accessories, thinking about the dress she found. The eager Teen Jesus she's going to prom with will eventually see his blonde girlfriend in something beautiful and comfortable like he predicted.

_Joe is going to love this._

* * *

"My God, Santana!" Mercedes exclaimed once she spotted a Cheerio diva in a long, red silk dress.

Santana stepped out of one of the fitting room booths with a hand on her hip and a smile on her face. The one-shoulder Greek goddess dress was a devilish red, tight around the girl's waist area, with many frills down below where her feet were. Silver heels with sequins on them were on Santana's feet. A wrist corsage with silver and red roses clung to Santana's right wrist, and a diamond bracelet on her left.

Brittany couldn't believe how proud she was of her sexy, beloved girlfriend. She can pretty much rock any outfit she can find, whether it's footie pajamas or a miniskirt and a bra.

Boy, she'd be looking forward to _that_ after prom.

"That looks very, very beautiful on you!" Mercedes added.

Mindy was checking on another customer when she heard the exclamations from the girls behind her. She twisted around and spotted Santana in the cherry red prom dress and smiled. "Honey, you look so wonderful."

Rachel, grinning from ear to ear, couldn't agree otherwise. "That is simply delightful."

Brittany turned to the short brunette sitting beside her. "I know, right? She's like the cherry on top of ice cream."

Santana gushed at all of the positive comments she received from the girls before her. "I'll have to admit, this does look pretty great on me."

Everyone else gave her sweet smiles before the Latina stepped towards the doorway of the fitting room booth where Quinn was. She had to change into her dress before coming out to show everyone.

"Now, we're waiting on the last—but not least—to present herself to the world," Santana continued, and she turned towards Quinn's door. She called to the girl sweetly, "Quinn, are you coming?"

"I have it on. I'm ready."

Rachel was so excited and literally grabbing Mercedes by her hands. Quinn was the prettiest girl in William McKinley. Whatever she put on was bound to be the favorite on the prom dance floor.

The door swung open. The girls were in full-on shriek mode when they saw Quinn standing inside. The blonde took one step out of the fitting room, putting a hand on her hip and showing off her good side. In one of Quinn's hands, she had a lavender, silk purse with a silver strap attached to it.

"Quinn Fabray," Santana gasped. "Oh, my gosh. You look extravagant!"

"Totally," Brittany agreed, taking every close look of Quinn she possibly could.

Mercedes and Rachel were definitely in awe at the sight of their short-haired blonde. Quinn felt so pleased with finding this dress. It was comfortable and ravishing lavender dress.

Even Mindy was pleased with Quinn's choice. "Marvelous, darling. You look so charming and sweet."

Quinn turned towards the shop employee and smiled gently. "Thank you so much."

The black-haired girl and the brunette couldn't help themselves. They rushed up out of their seats to take a closer look at Quinn's dress. She had picked out some silver heels with sequins and a lavender rose on each. She also displayed a wrist corsage she found. The bracelet part was also silver with sequins on it, and there were lavender roses on that as well.

"Q…Quinn…" Rachel couldn't stop stuttering. The sight of Quinn's prom dress had her flabbergasted. "I don't know what to say. This is stunning."

"You really think so?" Quinn asked, twirling a little and swaying the skirt back and forth.

Mercedes put a hand on Quinn's shoulder. "Are you kidding me? This is a wonderful surprise. Joe is going to love you in this."

"Are you totally sure, Mercedes? I can throw on the white dress you found for me—"

Mercedes lifted her hand and shook her head. "Girl, that's nothing compared to this," she replied, looking down at the skirt piece of Quinn's prom dress. "Joe will love this better. I know it."

Quinn was so proud of herself. The only think she thought of now was Joe's reaction when he came to see her at her house before attending the prom. He'll have the most amazed face he's ever had.

_Like all the times you've surprised me, Teen Jesus, I'm paying you back and surprising you._

With a smirk on her face, she put the purse strap on her shoulder and smiled at the rest of the girls. "I think we're ready to go."


	24. Chapter 23

Chapter Twenty-Three

"_Maybe this time, I'll be lucky; maybe this time, he'll stay…_"

The soft little white radio on top of Quinn's vanity desk played the song "Maybe This Time" softly at a volume of nine.

"_Maybe this time, for the first time, love won't hurry away…_"

In the bathroom next to hers, the blonde slipped on the lavender dress she found the previous week, being cautious of tugging at any end and protecting the sequins.

"_He will hold me fast; I'll be home at last…_"

The dress zipped up and fit nicely on the teen girl's slim, porcelain body.

"_Not a loser anymore, like the last time, and the time before!_"

Her upper body twisted from one side to the other, checking at every angle for any rips or missing pieces. Nope. All completely neat.

"_Everybody loves a winner; so nobody loved me…_"

The petite blonde returned to her neatly-cleared bedroom, seated at her vanity desk and taking down the curlers that sat in her hair for the last few hours.

"_Lady peaceful, Lady happy; That's what I long to be…_"

She slightly combed her bang, still keeping the curl in it, and then clipping the rest of her golden hair into a ponytail-like bun.

"_All the odds are, they're in my favor; Something's bound to begin…_"

Many containers of makeup are scattered on the girl's vanity desk, along with her earrings, sequin bracelet, corsage, lavender purse, and cell phone. Quinn took some of the blush that sat in a short, cylinder-shaped container and dabbed some on her face, followed by eyeliner on her eyelashes and glittery peach lip gloss on her soft lips.

"_It's gonna happen, ha ha; happen sometime; maybe this time I'll win…_"

The blonde checked below the desk. Her silver high heels sat comfortably in the little corner away from the vacant spots on her bedroom floor. She slipped the dazzling shoes onto her smooth, polished feet, turning back to the mirror on her vanity desk.

"'_Cause everybody loves a winner; so nobody loved me…_"

The silver and lavender earrings were placed onto the girl's already pierced ears with care, making sure she didn't drag the sharp part and tear the holes.

"_Lady peaceful, Lady happy; That's what I long to be…_"

With all of her attire preparations in check, she locked eyes with her own reflection. She had that same bright smile on her face she hoped everyone will get to see once her name is called and she's on that stage with a crown on her head.

Only a few more hours. Only a few more hours.

"_All the odds are, they're in my favor; something's bound to begin…_"

If this wasn't going to be the best night of her senior year, then she didn't know what could be. Just one more night to be made fabulous. Just one more night she can do whatever with her friends. But only one last opportunity to have what she's been asking for since the beginning of her high school life.

In the back of her mind, Quinn was really excited and nervous at the same time. She is yet to sing at prom with Santana, who both happen to be running for prom queen. She was going to party with everyone in New Directions. She was going to slow dance with her boyfriend after hearing his number with the other boys in New Directions. Everything amazing will come to her.

And then at ten, the prom king and queen nominees will be called up.

_Listen to me, Quinn Fabray, and listen carefully._ Her thoughts stood before her, giving her the best advice possible to make this night better than the last. _This is your senior prom. This is your last-ever prom you'll attend. This is your time to make it right. This is your time to show everyone the new and improved Quinn Fabray. Let's make it a memorable night._

"_It's gonna happen, happen sometime…_"

The blonde nodded into the mirror and took a deep inhale. Her body took in as much oxygen as it needed, and then released a breath. "Well, I guess it's time," she finally spoke.

Before the song ended, she heard a woman's voice shout from downstairs. Quinn's mother had just spotted an unfamiliar car pull up by the curb, and a lady with her teenage son came out and towards the front door.

"Quinn, are you getting ready up there?"

The blonde teen turned her head towards the door and called out, "I'll be down in a minute!"

An ecstatic Judy Fabray walked towards the front door, her heels clicking every time she took a heavy step. Her hand reached the door knob, turning it counterclockwise, and pulling towards her.

Before her, she could see a woman with a blackish-brown, long mane on the back of her head. Accompanying her was a familiar teen boy. His flowing dreadlocks were tied in the back to make a ponytail. He seemed way different. Before, he'd always wear worn-out jeans and many cardigans. Now he had a nice tuxedo with a black tie and a boutonniere on the left side of his jacket.

All the two guests spotted in the doorway was a widely-grinning mother of that one precious senior girl, Quinn Fabray. She couldn't believe her eyes when she saw the two, mostly the dreadlocked boy in his best attire.

"Maria, Joe, it's so nice to see you two!" she exclaimed, bringing herself to hug Mrs. Hart sweetly.

Joe's mother had a sweet smile on her face, patting the blonde woman's back with care. "It's so nice to see you, too. I can't wait to see Quinn."

"I know. I can't either," Judy said, letting go of the woman.

Mrs. Fabray's last statement made Mrs. Hart's eyebrows furrow. She figured that she either mistaken herself with someone else or she wasn't hearing properly. "You didn't see Quinn yet?"

Judy nodded. "She wanted this dress kept secret until tonight. She seemed utterly happy when she came home with it."

Mrs. Hart nodded. "I bet she did."

After agreeing with the boy's mother, Judy turned towards Joe. He had an adorable smile on his face as always. Inside somewhere, the butterflies had been released from his stomach. Gosh, he was so nervous. At any moment, Quinn would be coming down and taking him to McKinley for the annual prom night.

Not just one single emotion described how he was feeling right now.

"Why, don't you look handsome?" the blonde lady asked, reaching her arms out to Joe. Teen Jesus hugged back, being warmed up by her touch. "It's so nice to see you again, Joe," he heard her say.

"It's nice to see you again, too, Mrs. Fabray," the boy replied.

Mrs. Hart couldn't help but watch how pleasant and dignified her own son was. The Hart family was lucky they encountered the Fabrays. My God, they were so welcoming and loving to everyone.

As far as Joe, that young man has matured for the past couple of months. Most of his time being at McKinley, he was unsure of everything. The people—of course—the classes, the special events, the clubs and activities, the overall building! Now, he's settling in with everyone else. He's a really fast learner.

Once they let go, an anxious Joe looked in any which way, pumped up about seeing her girlfriend come in and show herself off.

"I can't wait to see Quinn." The boy was shaky and excited.

"I know, hon," Judy responded, turning back to the stairway. "I wish she'd get finished up there, though—" The woman took two steps on the stairs and called out to the petite Cheerio. "Quinn, are you almost done up there?" Her voice almost startled the daylights out of the dreadlocked boy.

"Almost done!" everyone downstairs heard the blonde call from her bedroom in a polite manner.

Joe fiddled around with his fingers, looking up at the ceiling in hopes that this will be the best first-ever prom he's been too. It was going to be perfect anyway, being that he's going with his perfect girlfriend.

The woman walked from the stairs back to Mrs. Hart and her son. Goodness, if Quinn was going to hold them up for this long, they had to be comfortable at least. "I can pour you guys some water if you like. You can have a seat there on the couch if you don't feel like standing."

Looking towards the couch, Mrs. Hart nodded, impressed with Judy's mannerisms. "Thank you."

Joe followed his mother, grabbing her arm and then taking a seat on the tan couch by the window. Mrs. Hart couldn't contain her smile. Just looking at the joyous and anxious young boy next to her made her think of all the wonderful times he and the blonde teen will have at Joe's first-ever prom night.

In the kitchen, Judy had just poured two glasses of water for the guests. She was extremely overwhelmed. Overwhelmed with happiness. In a matter of seconds, she'll finally get to see her princess in the prom dress she picked out for herself. Judy can't believe how independent Quinn really was. She was truly an angel.

Last year's prom was going to be nothing compared to this.

"Mom, could you come up please?"

Mrs. Fabray sensed that there was something wrong. Did the dress tear? Was it not fitting right? Did she need help with hair and makeup? What could Quinn possibly want?

Her mother brought the two glasses into the living room to leave with Mrs. Hart and Joe. "I'll be right back," she commented before heading to the stairs.

Joe got nervous again. For all he knew, Quinn could be running into a situation up there. God knows what she could be doing in her room right now.

Mrs. Fabray took a few more steps up to the second floor. She didn't hear her daughter scream or anything. That was a good sign. At least she didn't fall and break something.

Finally, she was on the second floor. Now all she had to do was to keep walking, turn to the second to last door on her left, and open the door.

The woman's heart continued to beat very fast. Hopefully she was going to love the dress Quinn slipped on. She always imagined the girl as a little princess. Seeing her would probably make her eyes spill out tears.

She finally made it to Quinn's doorway. She stopped in front of it, taking a deep breath before stepping in. She couldn't be any prouder of her own daughter than ever before—well, not more than graduation, at least.

"Mom, are you coming?" the blonde teen called out again.

_Okay, Judy. Just walk in, and see if you taught this girl right all those years you've raised her._ Judy's mind was spinning. Only one more step. Just one more.

She turned the knob on Quinn's bedroom door and stepped in. She couldn't believe her eyes. Quinn was really beautiful. The dress was beautiful. My God, everything was simply magnificent.

"Oh my…" the woman gasped. "My baby."

Quinn had a smile on her face just looking at her astounded mother. She reminded her of Santana, Rachel, Mercedes, Brittany, and Mindy at Giselle's Grande Dresses last week when she displayed the lavender dress on her petite body. They were so amazed that they could just run up and observe every angle of the blonde.

And that was definitely what her mother was doing right now.

"Honey, you look so beautiful," her mother responded.

Quinn looked into her mother's eyes and smiled again. "Thank you so much," she said, and leaped into her mother, giving her a big hug. For her mother to say that she made an excellent choice brought joy to her soul.

Letting go of her mother, Quinn clutched the purse in her hands and grinned. She knew earlier what her mother was calling for. Joe was downstairs waiting on her to come down. She wants this to be the best surprise she's ever given him. This'll totally pay for everything he's present to the girl.

_Well, time to see my favorite boyfriend._ The blonde couldn't believe it when she thought that.

"I can't wait to see Joe," the girl spoke gleefully, gripping harder at her purse eagerly.

Judy took one of Quinn's arms, tugging her towards the bedroom door. "He and his mother are waiting downstairs," she replied, and her daughter followed slowly beside her, making sure she walked straight and didn't trip on her long dress. "The boy's so excited. He really likes you, Quinn. I'm pretty sure he'll love you in this."

Quinn took a breath, nervous. "I hope so."

With all the chatting they've been doing among each other, they finally made it to the stairs. Judy went down a step first so she can help her daughter down. The blonde teen held onto the railing of the stairway, holding onto her mother with her other hand.

God, she was so nervous. Was Joe going to like the dress? Quinn was certain that he was. She thought it last week. The girls loved her dress. Her mother loved her dress. Why wouldn't Joe?

Two steps. Steady Fabray.

Adrenaline swam swiftly through the blonde's insides. Her heart pumped so loud that she could hear from the outside.

Four steps, five steps. Good so far.

Quinn looked down literally every two seconds to see if she wasn't stepping on her dress. Boy, she did _not_ want to mess that up.

Eight steps, nine, ten, eleven.

She was almost there. In seconds, Joe and his mother were both going to be greeted by the lady of the hour. God, Quinn needed water. Her throat was drying. She needed a fan or something. Anything to calm down.

There. Her heels clicked onto the hardwood floor. She finally made it down.

Her arm shook when she removed her hand from the railing. It was a good thing that Judy didn't notice. She was too proud and excited of the girl to even see her shivering.

Joe heard Quinn's footsteps from the living room. He was startled and ready to get up out of his seat at the same time. Gee whiz, here comes the sweat again. When will there be an event where the boy's sweat glands don't act crazy on him? It irritated him dearly.

There. There she was. There was that one and only Quinn Fabray he was looking for.

He immediately leapt from his seat, standing at Quinn's level. The girl walked closer, with her mother's arm linked to hers. My God, she was beyond anything Joe was thinking right now. His jaw had dropped at the sight of the smiling blonde in the lavender prom dress. She held onto her purse, and the corsage lay nicely on her right wrist.

"Here she is!" Judy shrieked, taking another look at her daughter. She was a really proud mother, Quinn knew.

Mrs. Hart was proud too, of both Quinn and Joe. They developed their friendship in a matter of months, and then got into a bittersweet relationship. Now if only Mr. Hart wasn't doing a late-night shift this week so he can see his son with his beautiful girlfriend.

Joe gaped. As far as he's concerned, he doesn't even know _how_ to react. Quinn was wonderful. God, with just a glance, she can send fireworks through Joe's eyes and throughout his whole body.

"Quinn…" the boy began, but almost didn't know how to continue. "My God, you look…so beautiful."

The blonde teen smiled sweetly at the dreadlocked boy, her eyes dazzling once again. "Thank you, my sweet Christian boyfriend," she cooed, wrapping her arms around Joe and giving him and big hug. Joe hugged back, his hands locking behind Quinn's back and not even controlling his smile.

"_It's so nice to see you._" The girl's voice was soft and somewhat seductive when the words were spoken into Joe's left ear.

The two didn't let go of each other for about a couple of seconds. They knew that their parents were watching around them. To make it simple, Quinn just planted a kiss on Joe's cheek and then released him.

Judy couldn't contain herself, either. This looked like graduation, but no one was even graduating yet. This was such a cute moment. It can't be wasted.

"I'm going to get my camera," she said, speed walking into her home office.

It was impossible for Quinn to hide her enormous smile. She couldn't believe how handsome Joe looked. For someone who wore cardigans, jeans, and sandals all the time, he's just this charming teenager she's so glad to see. It would be even better when the two would get out on the dance floor and have their moment together.

A moment that Quinn and Joe equally have been waiting for.

Joe felt a tap on his shoulder. Her whirled around just to see his mother smiling at him and holding a digital camera in her hands. "Get ready for me, okay?"

Joe gave the woman the best polite smile he could, holding Quinn's soft hand and turning towards his mother in the front of the room. Judy had just returned with her camera, trying to angle everything right.

Teen Jesus felt his face hurting from all the smiling. In addition to taking pictures with Quinn, he really did have a lot to grin about. Quinn. The dress. The bashful girl whispering in his ear. Everything was going along great, and they didn't make it to the school yet.

"Okay, smile for me." Judy had just positioned her camera, waiting on the two lovebirds to get together.

Quinn's arm wrapped behind Joe's back, her hand holding onto his waist. Joe brought his arm behind Quinn's back, his hand clutching onto the girl's left shoulder. The touch from the boy's fingers made the blonde tingle inside.

Both cameras were snapping away. The couple was directed to get into another pose. Quinn found herself hugging Joe and resting her head onto his chest. She loved how nervous the boy got when she got into that position. She could clearly hear and feel his heartbeat through his suit jacket.

"You two look so adorable. I can't get over it!" Joe blushed when he heard his mother speak after putting her camera down.

Quinn blushed as well after letting go of the dreadlocked boy. She did have to admit that she loved getting feedback from so many people on the two. She felt so special, thanks to the many people she encountered that complimented her and Joe. Her own mother, Joe's mother, the girls from New Directions.

There was so much love for them that it literally beat the water capacity in Lake Eerie.

"May I get some water, Mom?" the blonde teen asked.

"Of course. Be careful of that dress!" God, the things that could happen to that pretty little number Quinn picked up.

By the time Quinn walked into the kitchen, Joe suddenly remembered something. He shook his mother's arm, pointing towards the window. They could clearly see Mrs. Hart's car parked by the curb.

"Can we get them now?"

"Alrighty."

Mrs. Hart took her car keys out of the car, allowing her son to go out and open the door. Judy had no idea what they were doing—until Joe came out of the back seat with a bouquet of red roses.

She suddenly hoped her daughter didn't hear her gasp. Another surprise Joe got her. Wow, that boy was always full of surprises, wasn't he?

The blonde teen returned, already drank half of the water that was in her glass. She looked around in the living room. Where did Joe go? It had only been twenty seconds that she was gone, and already he leaves her behind. _Maybe he went to the bathroom or something._ He could be doing anything.

"Where's Joe?" Quinn spoke up, and both of the adults turned to her with smiles on their faces. This just got weirder.

Judy opened the front door again and let Teen Jesus back in. Quinn gasped, looking at the roses in the boy's hands. They were beautiful. Quinn couldn't believe what she was seeing.

"These are for you. I mean, whether you win prom queen or not, you still get voted on by at least somebody, right?"

Quinn felt like crying, but she didn't want to mess up her makeup. She leapt into the dreadlocked boy, hugging him out. Joe hugged her back, rubbing the girl's back.

"_Thank you so much_," she spoke, her voice muffled into Joe's suit jacket.

"_Not a problem at all._"

By the time they let go, Judy offered to hold onto the flowers. "I'll just put them in a vase for you, Quinn, and you get to look at the more when you get back."

The blonde woman walked out of the living room and into the pantry, trying to find a big-enough vase to put Quinn's roses in.

Quinn had so many emotions running through her. She thought back at the beginning after they had their first kiss. Sure, it was awkward, even when Judy walked in and almost spotted them. But she felt like she made the right choice when she wanted to be Joe's girlfriend. God, all the things he's done for her!

In the corner of her eye, Quinn saw a black limo park in front of the Fabray house. She knew what that meant. It was time to party her butt off with the rest of the school.

"Mom, the limo's here!"

Joe had a really confused look on his face. Was that supposed to be a French term for _love_ or _mailman_?

Then he turned towards the window and spotted the black, shiny vehicle. That thing was long. Sure, it had four doors like normal cars, but this thing extended for, like, two meter sticks or something. Before when Joe started learning things about the outside world, he saw them as really unusual.

For him to see a limo for the first time, it sure did bring that all back.

A man stood out of the car, standing in front of the passenger door. He was waiting on the two to come out and drop them off at the school. Perfect.

Joe felt the blonde's soft hand reach for his, tugging him towards the front door. He followed blindly behind towards the side of the limo. Once the chauffer opened the door, they could see familiar faces inside.

"Joseph! Quinn! Oh, my God! You two look so adorable!"

"Hey dude! Lookin' good."

"Lookie here. Princess came with her Teen Jesus. How charming."

The first few faces Joe and Quinn could see were Mercedes Jones, Sam Evans, and Santana Lopez's. They grinned widely once they saw them. Joe found it unexpected that he was riding with them to prom.

Judy and Mrs. Hart stepped out from the house, waving at Joe and Quinn's friends. They both shouted to them simultaneously, "Hey, you guys!" They waved back with grins on their faces.

"_Oh God, I need a picture of this_," Judy whispered to Maria, taking out her digital camera once again. She gestured the kids before her to get up and pose for the camera.

_Oh crap._ Quinn couldn't believe how embarrassing this was going to be.

Sam, Mercedes, Santana, and Brittany climbed out of the limo and grouped up together in front of the vehicle. Quinn and Joe stood in the middle, holding onto each other. Quinn's free arm held onto Sam, and Joe's free arm held onto Santana.

He felt kind of nervous to have his hands on another girl other than Quinn. He wouldn't betray the girl he loves. Besides, after confronting Santana that day in the library when she gave the boy a pep talk, he got scared of her occasionally.

Once they got into a group pose, Judy and Maria snapped as many pictures as they possibly could. Once they were done, all six McKinley students climbed in the limo, ready to head on to the school.

Maria, proud of her son, called to him as loud as she could. "Have a good time, you guys!"

Sam, sitting closest to the window, lowered it and gave a thumbs up to Joe's mother. "Goodnight to you, too, Mrs. H!"

The limo drove off, with the McKinley High students partying inside, leaving Quinn and Joe's mother smiling and watching them leave.

"God, I know Joe's going to have a lot of fun," Judy spoke once the limo turned a corner.

Mrs. Hart couldn't agree more. "I know he will, too."

* * *

"Goodness, Brittany."

Joe had just returned from the men's bathroom to see her girlfriend watching the most hilarious sight she's seen all day. The students of McKinley High were watching a performance before them.

The dreadlocked boy noticed that the witty, tall Cheerio was no longer in her prom attire. Instead, she slipped on a brown cavewoman outfit, and tied her hair up, leaving a braid that fell down to her back. Some other cheerleaders were in their uniforms, with dinosaur heads on them, doing some choreography while Brittany sung "Dinosaur" by some so-called Kesha.

Joe chuckled at some of the tall girl's sharp movements. She was a wicked dancer, he had to agree. Next to Mike Chang, she was the best dancer in New Directions. From what he heard from people like Artie Abrams and Noah Puckerman, Teen Jesus believed this.

Brittany and the other Cheerios ended on a pose, with the whole gymnasium erupting in applause. Santana, out of everyone, seemed to have the loudest scream and the most hand clapping. What a proud girlfriend _she_ definitely was.

"Hey there, handsome man!"

Joe whirled around and spotted Mercedes, gushing at the sight of him and his girlfriend. Sam accompanied her, smiling so much that his face hurt. He felt like his father when he saw him score five goals in a past football game.

"Mercedes, Sam," Joe spoke. He gave Mercedes a hug and a handshake to Sam. Quinn spotted them as well, hugging the happy couple.

Mercedes still loved the dress Quinn tried on the other week, even if she forgotten what it looked like until that moment. That girl was a star tonight. She was definitely going to be one if she wins prom queen.

Or in Quinn's case, _when_ she wins prom queen.

"You guys just look…oh, my God. I still can't believe it." Mercedes' eyes shot from Quinn and Joe's smiling faces to their feet with the formal footwear on them. The dreadlocked boy grabbed the blonde girl, giving her a sweet hug on the side. Quinn smiled at her precious Teen Jesus and planted a soft kiss on the boy's cheek.

"You did good with her, man," Sam replied, turning to his ex-girlfriend with a smirk on his face. Quinn couldn't help but laugh. "I'm loving it." He turned back to Joe and pounded a fist with him.

Mercedes suddenly heard some dance music come on. Students around them were moving their bodies and laughing at each other's moves. The black-haired girl couldn't help herself. She had to move. "Come on, let's dance!"

Sam, Quinn, and Joe pitched in with Mercedes to dance to "Club Can't Handle Me" that played over the stereo.

Everyone was having a blast so far. There were so many pictures Quinn took of people goofing off and partying like it's nothing. Sam and Puck, at one point, had a dance-off with each other. Brittany and Santana took part in a limbo with some other students. Quinn spotted prom queen nominee, Finn Hudson dancing with his girlfriend, Rachel Berry.

Joe, at one point, went onstage with Glee club members Artie Abrams, Mike Chang, Sam Evans, and Rory Flanagan to perform "What Makes You Beautiful". Everyone was having a good time listening to them and dancing to the beat. Some of the girls couldn't contain themselves once they saw the boy-band group number, and they ran to the edge of the stage, reaching for the boys' hands like they were fans at a concert.

Quinn was in the front watching the sight in front of her. She then remembered Joe telling her that this was one of the surprises that he wanted her to hear. His voice sounded so pleasant. There was a part in the song where Joe hit a harmony during the chorus. The blonde fell in love with it; she could only faint in someone's arms.

_My God, he sounds lovely._ The blonde felt like Joe's biggest fan in that very moment. She just wanted to drag him off the stage, take him to the hallway, and kiss him, never stopping for anything. God, she felt a fucking orgasm coming on. What was coming over her? This was overwhelmingly astounding.

By the time the boys got off the stage, Joe scrambled through the party people to find her girlfriend. He was nowhere in sight. Rachel and Kurt were onstage performing a song, and Joe wanted to dance with Quinn.

God, where the heck was she? She was missing out. How could she leave him like that?

Then after Rachel and Kurt's song, Joe heard his girlfriend's name, along with Santana's, said by the only and only Principal Figgins. The two girls arrived onstage, and some beautiful, slow music to the song "Take My Breath Away" started to play. Joe speed walked through the students and made it by the stage next to Artie and Sam.

"Dude, your girlfriend's performing. Looks like it's for you, right?" Sam spoke with a wink in Joe's face.

It sure did sound like it was for him. Every time Quinn sung, her hazel eyes would direct towards Joe's below her. Her smile grew each second just looking at him. His smile would grow as well. He was so happy for the girl, and wanted everything for her. It was such a beautiful moment. He felt like crying.

_Oh Quinn_, the dreadlocked boy thought while watching her sing her heart out. _What would I be without you?_ He felt so proud of her, giving him that fire to keep going with her in this relationship. It was something he always wanted.

The song ended, and everyone erupted in applause. Before leaving the stage, Santana and Quinn looked at their significant others with dazzling eyes and huge grins. They couldn't keep their eyes off. Dear Lord, they loved them so much.

Quinn definitely loved Joe, and that was something she'd never take back.


	25. Chapter 24

Chapter Twenty-Four

Quinn and Joe underestimated this whole night. It was better than they expected. For experiencing his first prom in his sophomore year, Joe was having a blast and wishing it would never end. He got to spend time with many of the students around him, the New Directions members, and his own girlfriend. He couldn't think of anything better.

As for Quinn, this prom night was better than the last. She was able to let loose and do more partying than holding a grudge and feeling jealous of other people. It felt good to shake everything off. Sharing jokes and stories with Rachel and Mercedes probably did most of the work itself.

It was about 9:50, and the prom committee had already left the room to count the ballads. Quinn was so nervous. God, she would have to share the stage with a few other prom queen nominees. It was intense. It was breathtaking. How was the blonde going to handle it all?

Quinn was standing in the middle of the gym room somewhere, looking around anxiously and waiting on Joe to return from the bathroom.

_Lord, help me calm myself down for when the stressful part of this prom is over._ She stared at the ceiling for a few seconds, praying that she'd make it through the rest of this night. This night was ninety-percent successful. Now if Principal Figgins would announce her name, she'd be straight.

"Hey there, Sugarplum Fairy," a raspy voice quipped at her.

Santana and Brittany, their arms behind each other's backs and their hands on each other's waists, stepped towards Quinn with smiles on their faces. Quinn smiled back, but one of her evil alter egos gave a stingy, tense stare.

"Hey, Santana and Brittany," Quinn greeted, putting her hands on her back to get rid of any pain from dancing so long.

"Prom king and queen's about to be announced in a matter of minutes," Santana explained with a huff. She knew that the competitive part of her got the best of her, especially when it came to prom queen. She wanted to win this as much as Quinn did. But defeating each other kind of lost its effect. "How do you feel?"

Quinn nodded understandably. "I'm feeling good. Just bored having to wait, that's all."

_Yeah, sure._ Santana almost didn't believe the petite blonde at all.

"I'm pretty positive that I'm going to win," Brittany spoke up. "Being the senior class president and all, I've impressed the school with my girl power. I felt like I made a difference. Good thing, right?"

Santana rubbed her girlfriend's shoulder, giving her all the love and support she can. "Baby, those boys have nothing against you."

Quinn's eyes furrowed. Boys? Was she sure she didn't mean girls? Quinn totally understood girls having n—boys? Really?

"What?"

Santana turned back to her prom queen-nominated rival. "Brittany's running for king. You know, one of us has to be the penis in the relationship, right?"

Quinn shot her a disgusted look. If it's one thing she hated hearing after turning to God and several rehabilitation sessions, it was the word _penis_ or _balls_, if it's said in the negative context.

"Looks like Finn's gonna get a run for his money, right Britt-Britt?" Santana asked, taking back a strand of some of Brittany's loose hair to the back of her ear.

"We're bringing this ship down together, aren't we?"

The tall girl had a big grin on her face looking into Santana's eyes. They both laughed, and then turned to Quinn. She was feeling alone and awkward seeing the two of them planning whatever scheme they had in mind.

"Good luck with that," Quinn finally spoke up.

Santana cleared her throat and gave a sharp nod. "May the best queen win."

And then, everyone heard someone tapping at a microphone that sat on a stand onstage. They all directed their attention towards Principal Figgins. The ballot boxes for king and queen sat beside him. Quinn got nervous again. God, only a few more seconds. Just a few more!

"Silence, children! Silence!" The principal called to the students through the microphone, and the room was suddenly quiet. "Will the candidates of prom king and queen come up to the stage?"

Santana and Brittany locked pinkies before turning to the stage. "It's time, Fabray," Santana called before heading off to the stage with the other girls.

Quinn fiddled with her fingers as she headed towards the stage. God, she couldn't help herself. She was shaking internally and externally. She needed to sit down, drink some punch, dab her face with a napkin—for goodness sakes, do something!

Her heels clicked once they made it to the steps. She stood near the right side of the stage beside Santana. Gosh, there were so many people watching them. She wasn't sure if she can pull this one off.

Her eyes met with Joe's again. That baby-faced smirk came back on his adorable, soft face. He can do anything to make that girl laugh and smile.

Thank God for him, too, 'cause that was the boost of confidence she needed.

"The time has come to announce our 2012 McKinley High prom king and queen," the principal spoke through the microphone, leaving everyone else applauding the candidates onstage.

The wrinkly man held an envelope in his hands. The cursive writing written on there said _2012 Prom King_. Quinn's eyes fell to the tall guy farthest to the left of the stage. His buzz cut looked adorably straight on his head. He had a nice tux on with a black tie and a white and peach-colored boutonniere.

Finn Hudson.

She remembered last year when he got kicked out and never got the chance to share the stage with her and the rest of the nominees after that fight. Now he was all the way on the other end, awaiting the name to be called for prom queen. He really did seem like he wanted to win.

However, this time felt different to Quinn. Now she has a boyfriend that truly loves her. It was going to be really unusual for Quinn to stand next to a different guy—in this case, Finn—instead of her own boyfriend. Sure, she'd get her popularity back, but it won't be the same like last time.

The short-haired blonde was startled a bit when Principal Figgins spoke through the microphone again. "Our 2012 prom king is…"

The envelope was already open, and Figgins saw the name of the winner from the inside. The room was silent. Not even a cough or a sneeze interrupted the silence.

"Finn Hudson!"

A surprised and ecstatic smile grew on the tall jock's face, and everyone applauded him. Some of the Titans football players called his name and did wolf howls. This definitely made Finn happy.

He walked towards the principal, bending down to a height where he can actually reach his head, and let the man settle the crown on top of his head. Finn waved and fist pumped to everyone in the gym.

And then, the room was silent again. Principal Figgins had grabbed another envelope that read _2012 Prom Queen_ on the front.

The guys on the other side of the stage, along with Brittany, shifted off to the side somewhere, leaving Finn to stand in the middle with Principal Figgins. The girls, anxious as ever, had their eyes directed to Principal Figgins, hoping to hear their names announced.

All of them…except Santana.

Quinn noticed Santana's disappointed face. Brittany lost prom king against Finn. In a way, Quinn kind of saw it coming. Sure, Brittany is class president because of her wildly amazing campaigning skills. But she's only a girl. The poor thing was probably shaken up a little to see her girlfriend's upset face.

The girls onstage heard paper rustling in front of Figgins. He had just opened the envelope and read the name inside. They were all nervous and crossing their fingers.

"And now, our 2012 prom queen is…"

No one moved. The only thing Quinn could hear at that moment was her heart beating extremely fast. It was uncontrollable. She tried to prevent herself from wanting to fall off her heels and shake off the nerves. She really tried.

But no longer were her nerves getting the better of her.

"Quinn Fabray!"

Everyone started cheering again. Next to the blonde was her best friend in the cherry red, supporting her with applause and a smile on her face.

In front of Quinn were Mercedes, Sam, and Rachel. They were smiling back at her, giving the most support they can. Even Joe was with them. He was so proud of her, and he wanted the best for her. The best came to her in a matter of seconds. Thank God for that.

The blonde walked slowly towards the principal, allowing the man to place a tiara on top of the girl's blonde head. Once that was done, Quinn turned to Finn. He had a smile on his face, too. Although the two weren't dating anymore, they were still happy for each other for winning.

They stepped closer together, and Principal Figgins stepped to the side of Quinn, still speaking through the microphone. "Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you your prom king and queen of 2012, Finn Hudson and Quinn Fabray."

Everyone clapped louder and endlessly. Suddenly, some slow music came on. The students parted like the Red Sea, and made an empty circle on the gym floor, showing the gym floor's design in red, white, and black.

_Should I even be doing this?_ The girl was suddenly feeling awkward again. She's glad she won prom queen, for sure, but she's required to dance with Finn. Dancing with Finn like this didn't seem like it was last year. Last year, she wanted him more than anything. Now she wanted Joe. She should be dancing with Joe right now, not Finn.

The tall jock held out his hand to Quinn. "May I have this dance?" he asked with a promising smile on his face.

She couldn't resist, though. Finn didn't really have the chance to be nice to her that much. It was always Quinn who tried controlling people. He was offering himself back to her for the last time they'll be in McKinley. It was Quinn's only chance.

Her porcelain hand fell into Finn's, and they carefully stepped off the platform and to the middle of the gym. Everyone was watching them with smiles on their faces. Some even videotaped or took pictures of the two.

The blonde sheepishly looked around, and then to Finn. She hadn't felt like this before. She never expected to feel like this when she won prom royalty with Finn. She felt like all of this was wrong.

Joe was standing beside Finn's brunette girlfriend, Rachel Berry. The two of them seemed very happy for their significant others wearing the crowns on their heads and sweetly dancing with each other. How come Quinn didn't seem that way?

Finn looked down at Quinn, still holding onto the blonde. "_Quinn, are you okay?_" Although very glad that he and his ex won, he still seemed concerned about her. This was her dream: winning prom queen and sharing a dance with the popular football guy. She wasn't really cherishing the moment like she used to.

"_If it's because of my dancing, that's okay_," Finn whispered again. "_I'm not really the best dancer in the world anyway, so…_"

Quinn smirked at him. Finn sure did mean well, but the guy did have a couple of problems. He still had that cute, gassy baby face he did when he first dated him. That's one memory of Finn she'll definitely have.

The girl looked back up and him with a sigh. "_I just feel that this isn't right_," she spoke up.

That left Finn was a confused look on his face. "_I don't get it. You've been wanting this since freshman year. You wanted to win with me. Remember all those talks about having the ultimate status symbol? Having a reputation after graduating high school? Do you remember all that?_"

"_Yeah, I do remember_," Quinn answered. "_I'm blessed that I have all of this. But I was mainly talking about…well, us right now._"

They continued to dance with people watching them. "_We're dating different people, Finn. We're happy with the people we're with right now. I feel that the two of us dancing together_ now_ feels weird because we should be making our _someone special_ happy. Do you understand what I mean?_"

It took a lot for Finn to devour everything Quinn fed her through her lips and eyes. Was she really saying this? This isn't the Quinn Fabray he knew. The one that wanted to dance with him with a crown on her head.

But on the flipside, he did understand what she was saying. He kind of expected Rachel to be let down when she saw him dancing with another girl. She looked very proud of the tall jock with the quirky face. She seemed to not mind at all.

She could be different on the inside, though.

"_Go dance with Rachel_," Quinn then said. "_She's your girlfriend now. Then everyone will be alright. Trust me._"

Finn's head turned to Rachel. She still had that facial expression that lit up like candlelight. He noticed how lonely she looked over there. He felt like he abandoned the girl. That's not the Finn Hudson his petite brunette girlfriend knew him as. Maybe Quinn was right after all.

Quinn's head turned to Joe. He still had that cute little smile on his face, watching the two slow dance and sway any which way. Quinn pointed two fingers to the dreadlocked boy and the small brunette, beckoning them over to come dance with them.

After this action, other McKinley High couples are gathering and slow dancing together.

By the time Rachel and Joe made it over, the blonde released Finn's arm and grabbed Joe's. He found it strange at first because the prom king and queen were to have their dance together.

His eyes then directed to Finn and Rachel. They had already started up with the slow dancing, with Rachel's head resting on the prom king's chest. They sure did seem relieved to have each other.

Why should it even matter who prom royalty dances with anyway?

Teen Jesus felt Quinn's arms wrap under his, locking her hands behind his back. The girl's head rested on his chest, moving to the slow music. This is the right feeling Quinn needed to feel. After all the years of torment and greed, and fixing herself to become a better young lady, this was definitely right for her.

Feeling the girl hugging onto his tense body, Joe felt in place at the moment. He was satisfied with everything. He was satisfied with how this prom turned out to be. He was satisfied to have Quinn by his side. He didn't need anything else. He needed her. He had her.

He had everything, actually.

Joe suddenly took control of himself when he felt his hands fall lower to the girl's hips. Looks like this bee almost lost his stinger for a minute.

He didn't want to lose control of his religion after everything his parents, his church, and God himself taught him. Christianity was too precious. Christianity was the only thing he had that defined him, other than the unusual attire and the lady before him, that is.

The blonde lifted her head, noticing Joe's quick action. "_Joe, what's wrong? Are you nervous?_"

The dreadlocked boy shook his head, giving Quinn the most intense look he can. Quinn could still sense something. She just couldn't put her finger on it. "_You're not?_"

Joe shook his head again. And that's when his brain, his heart, and the rest of his body had minds of their own.

His hands gripped onto Quinn's smooth, tense shoulders, bringing the girl directly towards him, and pressed his lips hard on hers. Like every other time he kissed the blonde, he would take a taste of those fruit-flavored lips, cherishing how sweet and smooth they were, and then bringing his tongue inside her mouth.

To Quinn, this was probably the sexiest and manliest thing this boy did in their whole relationship. She's surprised that she wasn't nervous about holding and kissing her like this anyway. She figured he'd do this after his marriage at some mediocre church during his honeymoon or something.

He wasn't positive on whether he was going to erupt or not, but something about Quinn made him feel needy. The boy was hungry for that girl. He was starving to fucking death. Quinn's personality and body definitely explained it.

Quinn heard a quiet moan come from Joe's mouth. Damn, she thought this was hot. She shivered with excitement on the inside. At first he tugged at Quinn's bottom lip for a second, and then went back to pressing his lips onto hers.

Quinn couldn't tell if she should be embarrassed or orgasmic. God, he felt so good on her. She didn't want to stop. Damn her dirty little brain! But there were people around them who could be watching them.

Well, Mercedes and Sam were, with the two unaware. Everyone else, it was unknown.

The black-haired girl had a shocked look, followed by a smirk on her face. She never saw the cool-cat Joe Hart in action like that before. Sam didn't, either. He seemed to enjoy watching, too, because Mercedes spotted that shit-eating grin on the blonde guy's face.

_I must've taught Joe more than he thought_, Sam thought, still eyeing Teen Jesus and the girl in front of him.

At a split second, Joe released himself from the blonde. A couple of heavy breaths came from the both of them. The most shocked and guilty-pleasured facial expression fell on Quinn's face. Just like the song she sung with Santana, Joe took her breath away. He took her fucking breath away. That was the best feeling she ever felt in the longest.

Teen Jesus brought his right hand up to Quinn's forehead, stroking her bang to behind her ear, still glaring her in the eye. "_I'm happy. I'm happy for everything. Everything's how it turned out to be._"

A smile grew on the blonde's face. She loved to see a happy Joe. A happy Joe made a happy Quinn. She was also happy that not only she won prom queen, but she got to spend these moments with all of her friends before graduation day hit.

Her little dreadlocked boyfriend was right. Every moment _will_ be better than the last.

The girl brought her head back to Joe's chest, hugging him tighter than the last time. Joe's hands went to her back, cradling the girl in his arms as the music continued playing.

"_I love you so much, Quinn._"

* * *

"I'm not coming out!"

"Why not, Suzie Q? We have to be there, like, right now!"

A different blonde girl was standing in front of the petite blonde's doorway. That girl was like a combination of her mother and her sister. She was about five or six inches taller than Quinn, with hair that reached down to half her back being put back by a headband.

She knocked at her sister's door again. What was up with her now?

"Quinn! Open the door!"

A loud bang on the door made her eardrums explode. "Will you get away from the fucking door?! I'm not coming out of here, and you're annoying the shit out of me!"

Whoa. Quinn changed once _again_! This time, she sounded mad and devastated at the same time. Tears ran down the poor girl's face, her hair such a hissy mess, and still dressed in her shorts and pajama top. The young blonde sobbed her poor eyes out, with the older girl still out there waiting on her.

Judy ran from the bathroom to Quinn's doorway, banging on it about three times. "Quinn, what did I tell you about that language?"

The tall, long-haired blonde scoffed. "_And she said she was grown…_"

Ouch.

"Frannie, shut up!" Quinn called, overhearing her sister's comment.

Judy folded her arms, leaned against the wall, and took a deep inhale and exhale. It was always difficult having those two girls in the same house. Quinn would always want to be the drama queen, and Frannie would always be the annoying one. Clashing the two of them together, and you've got yourself a bull fight.

She missed having Frannie in the house, though. She helped her a lot, especially during problems when they were looking for a home to live in, along with economical issues. God, that girl was so smart when she was still living in the Fabray household. She took Algebra relatively at an eleventh grade level at the age of thirteen.

Now the long-haired teen seemed so…distant. She graduated college, and is married to some guy that worked at UPS or something like that. The twenty-three-year-old changed a lot for her mother and sister, definitely.

But she did have that big-sister annoyance that Quinn seemed to hate.

"It's alright, Ma." The woman leaned towards the older blonde next to her. "It's like I told you when I was fifteen; she'll grow from that pity party in there in no time."

Quinn, stumbling upon her big sister's comment, rolled her hazel eyes and gritted her teeth. "_No, I'm not. Stop saying that!_"

The doorbell suddenly rang. The old woman's youngest daughter wasn't dress. The oldest daughter was annoying the daylights out of her. The gown still hung in the hallway closet door. Judy was going to have a blowing fit.

She wanted to get Frannie to dress the young blonde in her room, but she had already left to primp herself in the mirror. Quinn didn't move an inch from in front of her bedroom door from the inside. More tears rolled down her face, and she brought her knees up to her chest, almost curling up like a ball of clay.

Judy had so much on her mind, with so many interruptions and so little time.

The woman rushed downstairs and answered the door. The dreadlocked boy waited patiently on the other side. Judy assumed that he walked here, because his mother's car was nowhere to be found.

"Mrs. Fabray?" the boy started up before Judy hurried back in the house.

"I'm sorry, Joseph." The woman ran in about twenty different spots in the living room, the dining room, and the kitchen. Magazines were neatly and quickly organized. The roses Joe got for Quinn were straightened in the vase that sat on the coffee table. A couple of plates were set on the table for her two daughters. Waffles and eggs were done cooking and set over on the counter.

"As you can see, sweetheart, I'm in a rush right now," she told him, calling from everywhere she went. "Quinn's not coming out of her room and getting dressed. I don't know why. You may have to either wait here or just go on to the school and put your school things away."

Joe's morning smile fell off his face. "Wait, what's going on with Quinn?"

The woman poured some orange juice into two glasses. "I don't know. She's having some crazy hissy fit. She's locking the bedroom door and not letting anyone in. She's fussing with Frannie. She's not dressed. Her hair isn't done. I just—I'm so sorry. She's been driving me crazy this morning, and God only knows why."

Joe knew the reason himself, but needed further investigating. He headed towards the stairs and up to the second floor.

There, he meets the older blonde girl standing near Quinn's doorway. She had a tight, neon green skirt on her legs, a white tank top, and green flats. She sure did look a lot like Quinn. The only difference was that she was a little taller than she was, and had Rapunzel hair.

"You lost, sir?" she playfully joked around. "Do you need a blanket? Food? Shelter?"

What the fuck?

People's first reaction when they see Joe is that he resembles a homeless person. It annoyed him dearly. So what if his hair isn't that perfect? So what if he always wears cardigans? So what if he wears worn-out jeans and almost barefoot each day?

Geez, did he really have to deal with this every time he meets new people?

He crossed his arms in front of his chest. "No, I clearly have these so-called houses, beds, and groceries like eighty-nine percent of the world, thank you very much."

The girl teased him after a first impression. Why not get back at her?

She smirked at Teen Jesus. "Nice one." She took a few steps towards Joe and reached out her hand. "Frannie Fabray, Quinn's older sister."

"Joseph Hart," Joe spoke up, returning the favor of shaking Frannie's hand. "I go by Joe, mostly."

Frannie nodded with interest. "So, Joe, you are…"

"Quinn's friend from school."

The tall blonde's eyes glanced up and down at the teenage rascal. Pleasant, quirky smile. Piercing in his nose. A tattoo slightly visible through the tan cardigan and white V-neck he was wearing. Dreadlocks that fell down his back towards the bottom. Muscular arms, but not _that_ much strength.

Quinn sure did have good-looking friends, did she?

"You look more than just 'Quinn's friend from school'." Frannie took another glance at the boy's healthy young body.

Joe grinned at the compliment.

"Seriously," the girl before her added. "You're dating my little sister?"

The short-haired blonde, calm but not completely, eavesdropped on her older sibling speaking with Teen Jesus in the hall. "Frannie, what are you doing out there?"

Both heads shot to the bedroom door, locked and blocked by Quinn Fabray.

"Quinn!" Joe called, making his way to the girl's door and knocking three times. The door still didn't open, and the girl still crunched up in a ball in front of on the other side. "Quinn, can I come in?"

Her soft voice was muffled from her balling herself up again. "No!"

And every attempt Joe had in convincing his blonde girlfriend, it's like he took a stab in the chest by the one he loved most. Only fifty-five minutes until she had to be dressed and out of the house to the school. Come on, Quinn. Open up for the desperate dreadlocked boy.

"Quinn, please let me in. I want to talk to you."

The suspicious little girl lifted her head, craning it back against the door. "Is she still there?"

Joe grit his teeth, trying not to think how hilarious that sounded. Frannie was a little annoyed, but she could care less. She's been in her sister's life for about a few years now. It's not like anything's new or something like that.

Frannie made a motion with her hand horizontally crossing in front of her neck. She eyed the boy mouthing, "_I'm not here_," and then took a couple of steps away from the door.

_That girl is crazy, just a little_, Joe thought, wishing he took that back.

"No, she's gone, Quinn. I just want to talk to you. Your mother said something's going on with you. I want to talk to you, hopefully make you feel better. Please, Quinn. Can you open the door?"

The two have already had this discussion weeks ago. Quinn tried remembering the scrapbooks. She tried remembering the song Joe wrote for her. Quinn tried remembering the long-distance thing she discussed with Joe and everyone else in New Directions. No matter what she thought, she was still balling her eyes out.

And she was to give the salutatorian speech at graduation, right before valedictorian Mike Chang. Who would want to hear a girl ball her eyes out and messing up the way she spoke and stuff? She would've messed up the whole thing.

She wasn't up for embarrassing herself, even after she won prom queen about a week ago. Prom queens don't cry like babies; they strive to succeed.

Jesus Christ, she needed help…

She cracked open the door just to see Teen Jesus' worried face. That puppy dog facial expression was irresistible. She mentally kept knocking at her forehead, wondering why the hell she kept up this petty, depressing attitude. If it was one person that could stop her from it, it was Joe.

She opened the door some more, allowing Joe to slide through. She still suspected her sister hanging out there somewhere.

"Frannie, I can see you!" the girl yelled, spotting some of Frannie's flowing, golden hair past the door.

The long-haired girl rolled her eyes and strolled on downstairs for breakfast.

"Quinn…" The short-haired blonde heard Joe's soft, worried voice from behind her. He saw Quinn's flushed face, still smeared with many tears flowing from her hazel eyes.

"What's been going on with you? You were happy. You were satisfied with winning prom queen, hanging out with New Directions, and having a good time. Now you're in here, locking doors on people, and crying." Joe knelt down to Quinn, whom remained in her little spot in front of the door. "Please, Quinn. Tell me."

She was hugging herself, with a cloud hovering over her golden hair that lit up every inch in the room. Joe was there before, his hand on the girl's shoulder, trying to talk sense into her and reach into her head for whatever was destroying her.

The insecure and emotionally-confused Quinn Fabray hugged her legs tighter, looking at the ground and her toes, polished with pink glittery nail polish. Her bipolar brain wasn't working right in some situations. This one was one of the many.

"I'm…nervous; overwhelmed; scared." She had many feelings right now.

"What are you scared of?"

The blonde shrugged. "My speech. Being on my own. My future."

Joe's eyebrows furrowed. "Why your future?"

Quinn, trying as hard as she can not to make her legs wobble and tumble her over, stepped up off the floor and zombie strolled to the vanity desk. Joe followed the girl's body as it moved by the desk with scattered make-up on the top. She came back to her spot with her speech, neatly covered in a folder with page protectors.

Joe looked on the two-page salutatorian speech, and then the acknowledgement speech she made for Mr. Schuester, Coach Sylvester, and some of her other teachers in McKinley that she had. She sure did have a lot to read today.

"I wrote in my two speeches something about leaving McKinley and being on my own, and then how I'll leave all of my advice and love back for the rest of the students."

"Nice."

"No, it's not nice. Every time I read these, I keep seeing the reality of me living in a dormitory or apartment by myself. I would have to deal with the work my professors give me—which, by the way, may be ten times tougher than the work I've been receiving all this time."

Quinn smoothed her hair back. God, there was so much about being on her own and attending college that she would have to worry about. "If I _do_ get an apartment, I would have to pay the lighting, bills, water—for goddamn sakes, everything. Not to mention the gas for my car. Then volunteer work and part-time job, afterschool activities…"

She trailed off. She found it silly to worry about this. But she found it so much easier when she was living with Judy and not giving a crap about having the lights, television, and stereo on so long.

Visions of the two lesbian cheerleaders came up in her mind out of nowhere. Quinn could only remember their evil grins, snarky smirks, and them hugging on each other and kissing. She could also think of the many outings they've been on in the past few years.

And even though they've only been friends for about two years, Rachel and all the friendly times she's had with her came up as well. Her run-on speeches were always annoying, but they were still leadership-worthy. She seemed to have more energy than anyone in the group—hell, even the vest-addicted Will Schuester.

Those hazel eyes fell back on Joe. Oh, sweet sophomore Joe. It was only months—less than the time Rachel, Santana, and Brittany have been friends with the blonde—since Teen Jesus and Quinn first encountered each other. Now that the boy was Quinn's boyfriend, she has to leave him behind.

"And then there's you…" the blonde's soft voice came from her mouth to Joe's ears. "You and the rest of my friends. My parents. My sister. They've all given me more advice than I can learn myself."

Quinn may not be the very smartest girl in the world, but she did know that everything in life, she can't be independent about it.

"Even though we won't physically be there with you, we'll still be there to help you out in spirit. Plus, you'll meet new classmates and teachers at Yale."

Joe did have a point.

"I know. It's just…well, they don't know me as much as you guys do."

Joe nodded. "Look for me out there."

"What?"

Teen Jesus brought his hands up to Quinn's baby face, leaned her towards him, and kissed her lightly on the forehead. "You won't be as nervous as you are right now if you have someone you know out there with bucket loads of support."

The girl was so bashful. She really didn't feel like smiling, but felt like she had the courage to with the words Joe just conveyed to her attention.

Joe smiled back. He wanted to wipe those wet tears off those cheeks of hers. They ruined her beautiful face. Seeing her cry so much made him feel down. He loved to see a happy Quinn. He loved the happy Quinn. He wished and hoped for the happy Quinn. She'd definitely be happy once she crosses the stage to receive her diploma, and then makes huge successes down in New Haven, Connecticut.

He hoped she'd make it out of here without worrying so much about everyone. It was bittersweet, but it only brought the worst out of her.

Quinn started building confidence. Joe always made her build confidence. He did more than the mostly-forgotten Russell Fabray ever did. He wondered where he was now. He was probably making out with that tattooed-freak whore, Priscilla Vicks. Boy, did Quinn hate hearing about that bitch.

She flashed back down to the folder in her hands. A thousand people were going to hear this from William McKinley's salutatorian. She was going to do this. She was going to show the school what this girl was made of. She was going to stay strong and not break down. She was going to accomplish this last request of her high school experience.

Unfortunately, all of that went away once she took her seat on the stage, facing many familiar and unfamiliar faces in the audience.

This was going to get intricate.


	26. Chapter 25

Chapter Twenty-Five

The blonde couldn't believe what she was seeing. This was more nerve-wracking than she ever thought. Many families and friends of the graduates before them murmured amongst themselves. The light was shining over the McKinley students, nearing making them the _stars of the galaxy_. Quinn's stomach turned upside down. She felt the need to throw up, or just might pee on myself.

Her head turned to her right. Fellow Glee club member and dancing expert Mike Chang shot her a supportive grin, and then looked back at his parents in the audience, waving at them to be sure if they were looking at him. Hard to believe that the Asian boy has the highest ranking in the whole school, and he's not a tad nervous at all.

The blonde turned her head to the left. Rachel sat beside her, then a random girl and boy, then Kurt Hummel, then three more girls, and a boy all the way down at the end. As nervous as they were, they still knew how to hide it away from everyone looking up at them.

Quinn should've worked on that.

"Good morning parents, teachers, students, and staff." The principal finally made it to the podium after making some last-minute arrangements with the vice principal. "Welcome to the William McKinley High School Class of 2012 Graduation Ceremony."

The audience started applauding Figgins and the students up on stage. The rhythm of the clapping from everyone made Quinn's stomach toss and turn even more, and her heart beating like crazy. Gosh, when will this be all over?

"Could you all rise for the Star-Spangled Banner?"

Everyone in the room got up out of their seat, with the audience watching their kids recite the song to the graduation ceremony population.

Quinn took a moment to look around in the audience. She spotted Joe in the second row on the right side of the room. She almost didn't recognize him with his dreadlocks tied into a ponytail. Quinn remembered to look out for him. He told her that he'd have lots of support for the blonde.

Not only support, but distractions. She'd look at him and back up at the room ceiling; then to the floor, and back at Joe again. Maybe this wasn't his overall best idea, but it helped a little bit.

Once everyone was done, they took a seat into their chairs. An unknown student came up to the podium with a speech in her hands and a smile on her face. "Good morning again parents, family, friends, and teachers of the graduating class of 2012."

The audience erupted in applause once again. They stopped as soon as the girl cleared her throat and read a welcome speech she had written with the principal.

"As always, the sun comes and goes. Birds hang out with us in the summer, and migrate to warmer places for the winter. Flowers grow when first planted, and die out during a certain period. One thing that won't go; one thing that won't fly away; one thing that won't die out on us…are the lessons we learn from our teachers…"

Quinn spotted some people nodding. She couldn't agree more with what the girl said in her welcome speech. She did learn a lot from teachers. Well, being on Coach Sylvester's cheerleading squad, she learned a lot about having leadership quality and striving for the best—obviously that one due to the constant, stressful Cheerios practices.

She learned a lot from Mr. Schue, too. Back when the girl was pregnant, she wanted to bring her status back up and make herself popular again. She didn't know what she was turning herself into until Mr. Schue stepped in and discussed the Glist with her. One more step, and Quinn would've ruined the Glee club with her popularity-hungry schemes.

And look where she is now. She wondered if Mr. Schue was watching her so she can turn to him, speaking with just a look and saying, "Thank you."

"The behaviors we're taught from our parents…"

Quinn could definitely relate to that one. Her parents taught her a lot when she was younger. Quinn showed all her appreciation for Christ ever since her mother got her baptized when she was younger. Then spending all that time with her and her father, the blonde learned much about Christianity than she had ever known.

It wasn't just her faith, but it was being a lady overall that Judy taught her. Being polite with other people. Staying on task and not holding yourself up. Standing up for herself. Loving herself and other people. During the point in Quinn's life when she was feeling insecure about the way she looked, she turned to Russell, and he taught her all about strength. He balanced the girl out when she took ballet. He stretched her out when she did gymnastics. He and Judy helped practice splits and cartwheels. Then in high school, she joined the cheerleading squad. If it weren't for her parents, the Cheerios wouldn't even be on her transcript for college.

"The bonds we share with our friends and relatives…"

Quinn has made many friends—so many that she can't even remember them all. The Cheerios were obviously her friends. Whether going through the popular-girl phase or not, they made her feel special and loved. Santana and Brittany especially, since they've sort of bonded for the longest. God, it had been so long since she and Santana would go on the swings in the park and goof off like little rascals.

Then when she got kicked off and was still in the Glee club, Rachel and some other known Glee club members helped her face the fact that Glee is all she had, and that her true friends were right there in New Directions. Her true friends _were_ in New Directions. No one understood her more than they did. No one.

"The influence we get from positives in society…"

Tributes. When that first came up, Quinn immediately thought of the tributes they did for influential artists. When doing the Madonna tribute, it influenced her that girls and women don't have to take what boys and men say about them. They should stand up for themselves. They weren't going to be held down.

And just a couple of months ago, Mr. Schue did the Whitney tribute to get everyone in New Directions to see that there are things that they hold onto in terms of graduation. Really to say goodbye to Whitney Houston and to remember everything the graduates leave behind. Quinn was leaving behind a lot: her friends, family, boyfriend, familiar places she'd always go to, her bedroom in her mother's house. God, she was leaving behind so much.

"The passion we have for our talents and other people…"

Quinn definitely did have a passion. She had a passion for cheerleading, performing, writing—everything she thought of under the sun. She wanted to write and perform in college. Mostly write. She had a lot to write about. Some of what she had in mind was based on her personal life. She had many moments where she was happy. Many moments where she was angry. Many where she was sad or alone. Hopefully when she gets into college, she can express all of that to the world.

In terms of other people, she did have a passion for other people in her life. Her Glee club friends, Cheerios friends, neighbors she met before she moved, family members she has—some which she doesn't even know she has—and her boyfriend. Crap, her boyfriend. How long has it been? Five months? He was such a big help to her. Most of her current feelings and actions came from him. Just thinking about taking a plane to New Haven and leaving him behind made her feel upset. Him smiling back at her and placing kisses all over her face made her happy and loved. He made her feel…everything. She got to experience so many emotions in the last few months of high school.

"And the determination we have for our futures."

Quinn was very determined. After going through hell most of her high school experience, she wants to better herself. She regretted so many things. Having sex with Puck was the biggest one. Sure, she couldn't make the memory go away, but she could make something of herself and be a better Quinn Fabray, not the one that expected to have everything handed to her.

"One thing that the class of 2012 will definitely teach to those left behind, and those coming in, is independence, self love, determination, and growth. As more babies are born and the younger generation moves on up in their education, we lend a hand and bring them to see the light. To see the role models that taught us when we were their age. To expose them to all of the possible roles they can play in society."

The blonde admired that girl's speech. She must've put a lot of work into it. She wondered why she wasn't sitting in this front row beside her.

"As the graduating class of 2012 leaves William McKinley behind to pursue their dream jobs and goals, we leave behind hope. Hope in every student: freshman, sophomore, junior, or rising senior. Hope that they'll make something wonderful of themselves and their community. Hope that they'll make the right choices in life. Hope that they become something they wish to be and still make a difference. Hope that they'll fly like birds and take to the sky, to the highest point they can possibly reach."

Quinn turned and saw Rachel and Kurt crying. The girl's speech moved them dearly. She really hoped that the students left behind—especially her fellow New Directions members—are taught from right and wrong. She hoped that they strived for the best, and win William McKinley High another Nationals competition. She was pretty sure that they were going to make it.

The girl at the podium, taking in a deep breath, shot everyone a shining smile. "Do us well, students of William McKinley High. Make us proud. Make your parents proud. Make your friends and family proud. Make your teachers proud. Do the very best you can, and never give up on your dreams. Thank you."

Although the audience felt a little emotional, they still applauded the girl for that wonderful speech she gave. It's like they've never heard anything that beautiful in years.

Figgins returned to the podium, applauding the girl and giving her a pat on the back before she returned to her seat on the stage. "Thank you, Dana." He stepped towards the microphone on the podium. "And now it's time to acknowledge the teachers of William McKinley High. Teachers, please rise and form a line in front of the stage."

Oh crap.

Quinn suddenly remembered that she had to read her teacher speech to everyone. The nerves came back to her. She had two speeches she had to recite: the one coming up at that second, and the one for salutatorian. A lot of pressure was put on her. She was so nervous. What in the heck is she going to do?

"_Quinn._"

The blonde felt Mike Chang tap the girl on the shoulder. She whirled around in his direction, and saw a line of graduates up at the podium. The blonde, her legs wobbling, stood up and stood behind the prom king. At least with his tall stature, people won't see the girl freaking out in line.

The first person reading a speech to the teachers was a senior boy named Larry. Quinn could easily recognize him from third, sixth, and eighth period. He was voted Class Clown in the yearbook. Everyone sure did love the way he pranked the teachers in the beginning of the school year.

The line was moving pretty fast. Next was Kurt Hummel, then some girl named Anita Newman, then Rachel Berry, and some guy named Mark Wallace. Then it was Finn's turn. He really wasn't a guy with words, so he didn't write that much.

"_You okay?_"

Quinn heard Santana whisper to her from behind. She must've seen Quinn wander her eyes aimlessly around the stage, to the audience, up ahead in the line, and back down at her speech. She sure did do a lot of scanning her eyes everywhere when she got nervous.

"_I'll try to be_," the blonde whispered to the Latina behind her.

Finn was done with his speech. Now it was Quinn's turn. She had so many people to face—majority of them being strangers to her. She wished she went to get some air before it came time to present this.

"Quinn Fabray," the principal spoke to her away from the microphone.

She slowly made her way to the podium, making sure she didn't fall on the heels she was wearing. It was hard to make eye contact with the audience knowing that she had to read this paper and face uneasiness both at the same time.

The audience got quiet, watching the blonde up at the podium, skimming through her first speech. All she had to do—if she was going to have a pulse left, which was very close to less likely—was read the paper set before her, and not faint in front of everybody. She would have the word _embarrassment_ written all over her for eternity.

She glanced up only for a second. She wanted to know if Joe was still watching her like he said. He sure did know how to keep a promise.

Okay…here it goes.

"When I think of William McKinley, I remind myself of a jungle. We have wild times, some being fun and entertaining, and others being intense and emotional."

She swore she could hear Santana behind her replying with, "Mm-hm," and shooting her an _I'm trying so hard not to laugh _grin.

"And exploring that jungle for the first time is a baby cub. In my freshman year, I felt I could definitely relate. I yet had a lot to learn when it came to McKinley and high school overall."

Quinn thought this was kinda funny to compare the jungle to William McKinley itself. It was an actual jungle to her when she first stepped through the corridors of the building.

"Of course the baby cub has parents, though, to teach it natural behaviors and to take care of itself. I felt like these two teachers were my second mom and dad in my high school experience."

With a deep breath and a confident smile, she turned towards the line of teachers and found Coach Sylvester. Of course she had one of her signature track suits on. It's like that's all she ever wears nowadays. Quinn remembered when she told her about the disgusting performance Will Schuester put on for her, and then asked her to go out. Brown track suit and pearls. Literally that was all she had. A nice dress or blouse wouldn't hurt, would it?

"Coach Sylvester," the blonde spoke up in the microphone. Sue was immediately called on by one of her precious Cheerios. It wasn't that normal, but a smile the size of Saturn grew onto her face.

"We've been together on this ride for pretty much all four years of my high school experience. It may have been tough coming to Cheerios practice—and gaining and losing energy and strength—but it was worth it. I'm a stronger person now, physically and mentally. I understand what it's like to be a healthy, fit girl fighting for something she deserves."

Sue touched the left side of her chest with her hand, feeling honored to hear considerate words from one of her cheerleaders.

She always thought her girls were always frustrated at her or scared of her. It was always the same. One girl would try to make her way out of it by saying she twisted her leg or she had the need to throw up. Being the wicked coach she can be, Sue always considered one of those excuses as extremely petty and lazy of the struggling teenagers. She almost didn't allow breaks one time because every time they did, two girls would sneak to the bathroom and stay there for the rest of class.

While all of this was going on, Quinn—occasionally Santana and Brittany, too, if they weren't so caught up with their hair and nails—worked almost as much as the rest of the girls. She didn't want to let her down. She was the freakin' captain—that is, until Santana took over. Regardless, she still strived further than anyone has ever gone.

And it was all thanks to the track suit-addicted woman with the weak bone structure.

"When I look back at myself for these past couple of years, I think of how much I've grown and become the lady that everyone wants to see out of me. I thank you, Coach, for making me into the girl I am today."

Sue nodded to her again feeling as dignified as a cop from Troop #4073.

"It wasn't just her alone; someone else helped me through the process of going through high school and making the right choices…and that person is Mr. Schue."

She wasn't expecting Sue to smile at that or anything. She expected to take all of the glory, and not let Mr. Schue step in at any time whatsoever. The blonde assumed that they've joined forces and become friends now that Sue's pregnant and she felt like she's been attempting all the wrong acts against the Glee club.

Beside her stood a happy, grinning man with a brown vest over his blue buttoned-down shirt. Bloody hell, there was so much grease in his hair. Sue was right all along, even though it looked as if her hair hadn't grown since she was seven years old.

"The first couple of years in my high school life, I thought popularity was all I needed to help myself get through this process. Naturally, things took its turn for the worse. I had nothing at one point while I was here. New Directions never rejected me when I was in a dark hole of trouble. They—they saved me, actually."

She could see a couple of nods come from known Glee club members such as Tina, Brittany, and Blaine in the audience right in front of her.

It was really unfortunate for Brittany to not be up here with her girlfriend. She was the only senior girl from New Directions who wasn't going to get a diploma this year. Let's face it; she kinda gave up on even trying with homework and stuff, and basically drew pictures of unicorns all class period long. She was more passionate about Santana and mythical creatures than History and Science anyways.

"If it weren't for New Directions, I honestly would've been stuck on torturing my own life and feeling more insecure about myself than I've ever been. Not only this, but I wouldn't have discovered so many genres of music, and so many ways of acting and dancing."

The curly-haired man grinned a little more at Quinn, proud to have her as one of his students.

"So Mr. Schue, Coach Sylvester, I want to thank you. Thank you for accepting me. Thank you for teaching me. Thank you for motivating me. Now I can finally escape, feel free, motivate others like you did with me, and make the best accomplishments I possibly can."

Once she was done, they gave her an encore. Some people stood in the back, and Judy's mother blew kisses at her daughter from her seat. She couldn't tell how much she blushed at that, but she was pretty certain that it was at a fifteen-second minimum.

As soon as Quinn got to her seat, Santana made it to the podium to make her speech. Most of it had to do with Coach Sylvester, along with about two or three other teachers she didn't find as boring since she's been in this school. Then two more guys and a girl went. Quinn never saw this many teachers cry this much all at once. She never saw _Coach Sylvester_ cry this much. She always blamed it on the hormones.

Principal Figgins made it back to the podium and applauded the people who presented a speech. "Let's give these students a round of applause!"

Everyone clapped once again. No one could be louder than Judy, Brittany, Mr. Schue, or Coach Sylvester—well, to Quinn, no one could.

"And now," the principal spoke again, "I would like to present to you the top ten seniors of the graduating class of 2012."

A skinny blonde woman was standing beside him with ten white ropes, all of them weighing her arms down almost completely. Quinn knew that she and Mike Chang were going to have to present their salutatorian and valedictorian speeches once they received these. Between the two speeches Quinn had, this one was going to be more emotional than the last.

Jesus, they were moving fast with this, too.

"Number ten, with a GPA of 3.77, Trenton Keller."

The boy all the way at the end of the first row stood up and walked swiftly across the stage to Figgins, allowing the woman to place the rope around his neck. He sure did seem proud of himself. His mother was, too. She was up close to the stage after the teachers seated, and took as many pictures as she could.

"Number nine, with a GPA of 3.785, Leslie Hansberry."

Quinn gazed down at her crossed legs being covered by the red robe she slipped on over her dress. The nerves got back to her again. She started thinking of how she was going to read this thing without crying in front of everyone. She was so proud of herself. She wanted this. She _needed_ this. She needed this to get to Yale in the first place.

For the pressure to be put on her—and straight-A champion, Michael Robert Chang—sent butterflies, earthquakes, and tornadoes flying all through her stomach.

Some girl named Hannah Mays with a 3.81 went up to retrieve her rope. Then Francesca Gorton with a 3.832. Kurt Hummel followed straight after with a 3.851. Soon enough, they were already at the top five. Shit, why won't time slow down for one damn minute?

"Number five, with a GPA of 3.854, Nathan Harris."

A boy with caramel skin and black hair made it past the others in the top four, and had the rope placed around his neck. He shook the woman's hand and Principal Figgins' hand as well.

The blonde's heart beat faster. Only two more girls, and then it was on her. She really wished she could wrap herself in the covers at home right now.

"Number four, with a GPA of 3.89, Victoria Savage."

Quinn remembered her from the Cheerios. She wasn't as bitchy as some of the other girls on the squad, but she sure was close to it. She had that scoff, that eyebrow cock, that eye roll, and that stance that very well made her look bitchy. Sometimes, she'd even add a hair flip. Her dark, brunette hair was just about as long as Santana's used to be. So if someone was standing behind her, they'd get slapped by her own ponytail.

The blonde could only laugh at what she'd look like if she was in Glee club when they mentioned that hairography nonsense.

"Number three, with a GPA of 3.982, Rachel Berry."

The short brunette beside Quinn grinned when she could clearly hear her name from Figgins. She'll hope to hear it as many times as possible when she's famous in Broadway.

To Quinn, it seemed like she expected it.

There was a sudden silence. Rachel had made it to her seat already. Quinn was alarmed by this act. What was going on now?

"Now before I present William McKinley's salutatorian and valedictorian, I would like to acknowledge that they've made speeches to present before all of you. I would like you all to listen to them before they've taken their seats."

Quinn and Mike both grabbed their speeches from underneath their chairs. More adrenaline rushed through the poor girl's skin. Good God, here it comes. She felt her heard and the blood vessels in her arms bubbling on the inside and about to b—

"Number two—with a GPA of 4.025—our salutatorian, Quinn Fabray."

This had to be the loudest encore Quinn has heard all day—well, it won't be once Mike Chang's name is announced, that is. Her mother, Frannie, Brittany, and Joe were all standing up beside each other, applauding the nervous blonde as she took slow and easy steps towards the podium.

She figured she'd be less anxious once she saw her little group of supporters. Unfortunately, it got worse. She sensed that she was going to stutter on a word or skip a sentence. After everything she learned in English and Debate, she definitely didn't want to screw this up.

After the rope was placed gently around the back of Quinn's neck, it got silent again. Her hands trembled while holding on the folder, turned to the first page of her salutatorian speech. She felt that she was losing her voice at the very second. _ Oh God, focal point. Focal point. Goddamnit, Quinn Fabray, you need a focal point!_

Nothing was really going to help her that much anyway. If she looked back towards the graduates, no one would neither hear her voice nor see her face. If she looked down at her paper, just seeing her face would be a problem. If she directed herself towards Joe, Brittany, Frannie, and Judy, she'd most likely cry—and that was the last thing she wanted to do today.

She tried taking a couple of breaths before beginning. From the corner of her eye, she could see Joe in the audience, directing her to smile. She tried so hard not to laugh. He was so cute and encouraging. She only wished she could smile more than she sobbed. She only wished.

She lifted her head high enough so her mouth was at the same level as the microphone. "I feel especially honored to be named as William McKinley's salutatorian. It took a lot of study, day in and day out, just for me to make it where I am right now."

Well, she definitely felt a little shred of confidence from saying that.

"It took a lot of courage, determination, and books for me to get to this point. Before I even came to McKinley, I didn't really have people that appreciated me or even agreed to help me. That was part of the reason my independence developed once I got to high school. I kept my nose in a book pretty much almost every day then, and my mother would call me a born-to-be bookworm."

A couple of laughs can be heard here and there. Judy even smirked at Quinn's last statement. There were so many things she could remember telling the blonde at that age. Calling her Kitten Claws at age five was one she could easily remember, exceptionally because she dressed up as a black cat for Halloween.

"Actually, I wanted to thank you, Mom. I want to thank you for birthing me and raising me," Quinn continued. "I want to thank you for teaching me how to be a young lady. I want to thank you for helping me with even the most difficult lessons in life, whether it's from a textbook, the train of thought, or anything beyond."

Judy placed her hand over heart, almost crying at the sight of her beautiful daughter with her magnificent words.

"You and dad have been the start of this wonderful journey. I wouldn't even be alive if it weren't for the two of you." Quinn had a beholden simper on her porcelain face. "Although it was unfortunate for Dad to leave the two of us so soon, I'm blessed to know that he gave me a life as well."

The woman had tears running down her face. She got so mad when she found out about Russell's newfound relationship with that tattooed freak. He could've at least been here to support her daughter and listened to what she had to say before running off like that.

"My life sure did have a lot of ups and downs, though. I struggled with my place in school before I even came here to McKinley. People were scared of me; they thought they couldn't trust or believe in me. I was called evil names and made fun of almost each and every day."

That part of Quinn's speech kicked her in the groin. And then it hit her once again.

_Lucy Caboosey._

Before she looked like the pretty blonde people saw her as, she was the chubby, ugly girl who everyone made fun of. She hated being treated like shit. Everyone deserved happiness and belonging. It didn't really matter whether you had split ends or you're a little on the heavy side.

If only people had more respect these days.

"If it's one thing that made me see the positives about myself and other people, it's Glee club," the blonde went on, with several New Directions members—both onstage and in the audience—grinning at her and acknowledging how much Glee club changed them as well.

"At first I was just this…this stereotypical cheerleader that wanted to rule the school and make people feel how I felt in the past," Quinn continued. "But then I realized it could actually hurt people. If changing meant transforming once I became a freshman, it should also mean that your attitude and your consideration for other people should change."

People in the audience nodded to that statement.

"Luckily, I've changed a lot, thanks to being a part of New Directions. I've stopped caring only about myself, I learned to forgive and love myself for the mistakes I've made and for the insecurities I have; most of all, I learned so much about dancing and singing skills."

There sure were a lot of John Travolta hands, Journey songs, and disco music in the weekly lessons in Glee club. Quinn was surprised people like Santana or even Puck survived all that.

"I really do have many friends in that club, too. It was mostly them and Mr. Schue that helped me through my high school journey."

Mr. Schue grinned from his seat. The other New Directions members shot her supportive, proud facial expressions. They couldn't be happier to have someone like Quinn in the group.

Then her courage fell and broke into pieces. She was no longer feeling well enough to say the rest. Her throat got heavy and something in her chest dropped. God, she was gonna get emotional. She could feel it everywhere in her body—her chest, throat, eyes, forehead, stomach, legs, and even her arms.

Her eyes wandered around again at the audience. They were all waiting. They were all watching. They were all wondering, why she isn't speaking.

Quinn swore she heard herself stutter in the microphone. She knew this would happen. Now everything's going to be ruined.

"I've grown to…" Crap, she paused again. "…to have so many friends from Glee club since they helped me…"

Another pause. The poor girl was having a really hard time.

She took a quick moment to look up at the ceiling and breathe. She heard some awes from a couple of people in the audience.

She brings her head down and levels her lips with the microphone again. The blonde then notices the dreadlocked boy trying to grab her attention. He balled both of his hands up in front of him, both forcefully pounding in thin air simultaneously, and continuously mouthed, "_You can do this. You can do this._"

The words of encouragement caught in her eyes.

"I…honestly wouldn't forgive myself if it wasn't for them," she continued. That extra breath and Joe gesturing in the audience really paid off. "And to tell the truth, I wouldn't doubt any of them. They all have something special about them no one else can deny. That's basically what I learned from being in Glee club. You are special. Everyone is."

Behind her, Kurt and Rachel were honored to hear what Quinn said. Like the short brunette said at the beginning of Glee club—even before Quinn joined—being a part of something special…_makes_ them special. She was proven right yet again.

"When I took a trip to Washington D.C. one summer, watching all the successful people taking care of their business, I came up with a quote. And from that quote, I learned something very valuable." Just so she got the quote right, she looked back down at her speech and read off it, loud enough so the people in the audience could hear.

"Pain is a boulder; there's just about two-hundred pounds. There's a whole lot for that boulder to be made. There's the emotional pain where someone pushes you off the edge and sends you falling twenty inches deep under water."

She really hoped people got this, because when she first wrote it down, she kinda derailed the train of thought in the process.

"There's that physical pain where lay on the floor, broken and defeated by that other force that plummets over your body and your soul."

The New Directions students definitely felt it. At one point in their lives, they definitely felt it.

"Sometimes, pain seems too indestructible to stop. What one possibility could we try? Well, there's one painkiller we can try: ignore and believe. Ignore others and believe in yourself. If there's something that you really want, reach for it and not let others keep you away from it. If there's something that you want to be, succeed as much as possible without others saying that you can't do it."

Brittany was in the audience, watching her natural born leader of a friend speak out loud. She had the oddest feeling that she should've asked Quinn to write her senior class presidential speech.

Rachel and Kurt grinned. They sure were put down by so many students in McKinley High School. The porcelain brunette boy obviously was bullied for his sexuality, and was put down for his singing talents and his achievements. Rachel was always being put down by people who were jealous of her talents—well, at least she _thinks_ they're jealous.

Santana was somewhere in the fourth or fifth row, listening to her best friend speak her heart out. She was so true. When she was outed for her sexuality recently, she wasn't going to let some jackass bring her down like that.

In fact, no one was allowed to if they were in Santana's radar.

"Never stop trying. Never stop believing. Keep on achieving. Keep on succeeding," Quinn continued. "Hold on to what you truly believe in. Hold onto those opportunities that lie ahead for you. Hold on to your determination. Hold onto everything, 'cause it'll benefit. It'll make you feel better than you've ever felt before. It'll make you…a better you."

The girl ended with a glowing smile, and everyone applauded her, some even with a standing ovation. Judy and Frannie were the loudest in the room. Joe did a couple of fists in the air, and Brittany jumped up with glory.

The short-haired blonde blushed at all of the accolades she was receiving. It filled up the missing hole of joy she really needed back from this depressing few weeks.

After her speech, Mike went up next with an outstanding GPA of 4.309. Gosh, that boy _was_ smart. His parents must've put a lot of pressure on him, more than any other McKinley parent would.

It was close to the end of graduation. Mike Chang had already presented his speech, and Principal Figgins was headed to the podium to wrap up everything. All of the graduates were standing onstage, grabbing the rim of their hats, their tassels shifted to the other side.

"I present to you, ladies and gentlemen, the William McKinley High School's class of 2012!"

Red hats flew in the air with tassels flying like crazy. Everyone applauded louder than ever, and watched as their children celebrated onstage. Rachel and Finn shared a long-lasting kiss, Kurt and Mercedes shared little diva-like handshakes and dances, and Quinn and Santana hugged the life out of each other.

The students carefully stepped down from the stage to meet with their parents. They all hugged, kissed cheeks, cheered, and congratulated the McKinley graduates. Quinn smirked at Santana running to her girlfriend with tears on her face and kissing the daylights out of her.

"My sweet baby!"

The blonde could hear her mother come forward. Frannie and Joe followed from behind. They all had smiles that were going to stick on their faces like super glue.

Once the two blonde women hugged the teenage girl, Teen Jesus brought his arms up and brought them up to the blonde. "Quinn, you did amazing."

The girl rested her head on the boy's shoulder. "You really think so?"

"I know so," Joe responded. "I told you, Quinn. You had loads of support coming from me, and you did wonderful. I'm proud of you."

_He sure did tell me_, Quinn thought as her head rested gently on the dreadlocked boy's shoulder. He tightly hugged her back, rubbing his hand in circles on her back.

The girl lifted her head up for just a second and smiled. _Thank you, God. Thank you. Boy, I couldn't do this without you._


	27. Chapter 26

Chapter Twenty-Six

Kinda hard to believe that someone like Santana Lopez would reserve a whole restaurant for the McKinley students' post-graduation party. Quinn expected the place to be full with couples dining, kids running around like rats, and kid groups eating big slices of pepperoni pizza—or cheese or sausage, whichever was their preference.

The restaurant Santana found was, like, out there somewhere—Coretta's Café. Not only it was fancy for the adults and elderly, but it had fun zones for the younger kids. The place was just as big as one of the nearby Best Buy stores Quinn spots each time she drives past to go to the mall.

Lucky for the students and their parents, the fancy diner area was reserved just for them to have their little celebration.

No one could possibly get over the square tables covered with red velvet covers, and had clear, thin vases with red and white flowers—the perfect centerpiece for this occasion. Four square plate mats lay on each side of each table neatly, with forks and butter knives on one side of the plate, and spoons on the other. Glasses sat on the tables for everyone to drink out of.

Each parent with their graduate checked in with the bouncer guy awaiting at the door. First was Santana, her mother and father, and Brittany, of course. Then Mercedes, her mother and father, and Sam next. Then Quinn, Judy, Frannie, and Joe entered. They were followed by Finn, Kurt, their parents, Rachel, her two dads, and Blaine. Afterwards came Mike, his mother and father, and Tina. Lastly came Puck, his mother, Artie, Sugar, and Rory.

The parents—mostly Mercedes, Santana, Mike, Finn, and Kurt's—all brought balloons, each decorated with some special message like "Congrats, Grad!" or "Congratulations!" on each.

Soft, calm music was playing near where the DJ set up his table full of records, switches, and the laptop for all the music. Quinn shook her head at the sight of it. _Man, her parents must have a lot of money or something for them to request all of this._

"Quinn!"

An energetic, tall blonde Cheerio ran towards Quinn, giving her the biggest hug imaginable. She sure did look kinda cute in the hot pink, floral dress she had on with the hat on her head.

"Oh, my God. I loved both of your speeches, and you look amazing as always."

The petite blonde forgot that she took off her graduation robe, revealing her pink, long sleeveless graduation dress. Her hair flowed over her shoulders and on her back softly and swiftly, and she was just the right shape to slip in the dress. The cross necklace and the heart necklace dazzled her glimmering eyes.

"Thank you, Britt-Britt." She really thought only Santana was allowed to call her that, but she could guess otherwise. "Too bad you couldn't be up there with me and your girlfriend."

Brittany's head sunk. She never had the courage to keep on trying when it came to class assignments, projects, and homework. If it were Cheerios or stopping Lord Tubbington's drug addictions, then maybe—although Quinn couldn't believe a damn thing she was talking about.

The fact that the Unholy Trinity did everything together was something Brittany and Quinn both thought would stick with them forever. Not in all cases, it didn't. They certainly weren't graduating together.

Quinn's eyes wandered down to her feet, thinking of all the times Brittany could've at least tried to reach out to her girls and study to get a decent grade. _Oh, you dimwitted Brittany…_

"I understand, Quinn," the tall blonde spoke up. "On the bright side, I get to be on the Cheerios again. And I get to stay around with Artie and Tina and stuff. So, a part of me is good about that."

Brittany was only so young, but she was around Quinn and Santana's age. She could at least take responsibility to herself. Quinn sometimes thought of her as a…well, _special_. Sure, it did sound kind of mean, but someone should've told her something before this moment.

Quinn wasn't going to be fully mad, though. She is her friend after all.

"Hey, everyone!"

Both blondes heard the Latina speak through a microphone on one side of the room. Brittany suddenly perked up, skipping towards her side and sitting in an empty seat at a table. Quinn gazed around, and then found a seat beside Joe at another table.

Santana waited until everyone had her attention. "Well, I'd just like to say how proud I am of everyone who graduated today," she continued. "Myself, of course…"

Quinn snorted. _That's the old Santana we know._

"Our four New Directions members in the top ten of the whole class!" Santana added. "Let's applaud, shall we?"

The whole room erupted in applause. Mike's parents hugged the daylights out of their son, Rachel got a sweet side hug from her two dads, Leroy and Hiram, Kurt got a brotherly hug from Finn, and Joe gave a side hug to his girlfriend. The four in the top ten couldn't be prouder than they were at the moment.

Santana smiled at each one, and then spoke in the mike again. "I also want to congratulate everyone else on their success in graduation. I know we won't meet as much as we do now, but we can still cherish these moments while they're still living."

That was something no one could agree otherwise.

The now former Cheerio sighed satisfyingly and looked around at the people enjoying the good time they've had today so far. "Now that the introduction's settled, we can eat, listen to music, dance, and have a good time. What do you say, huh?"

The room echoed with cheers as the girl lifted her balled-up hand in the air. The DJ played some calm music as everyone went up to get some food beside the area where Santana was standing.

To present his consideration, Blaine stepped in line behind Quinn and Mike, tapping both of their shoulders. "Congrats on the top two spots, guys. That's a big accomplishment."

The Asian and blonde smiled. "Thank you," Quinn replied sweetly.

Mike reached out to fist pump with Blaine. "Good looking out, man," he spoke with a thumbs up.

Kurt was just behind Blaine, putting some macaroni and cheese on his plate. "You know, I was three papers close to getting number four—or at least number three, but Rachel Berry—"

Quinn lifted her index finger at the sound of Kurt annoyingly echoing Rachel's full name. "Let's not get all fussy with Rachel Berry. I mean, this is supposed to be the time when we're spending our last days together. Let's make it the best, alright?"

She cocked an eyebrow at Kurt, and his response was a sigh and a nod. "I guess so."

The line moved ahead just a little. Sam, Mercedes, Joe, and Rachel and Puck's parents had already grabbed their food and took a seat at their respective tables. Sam and Mercedes joined Joe at a table where Quinn's graduation robe was placed over a chair.

Sam and Mercedes started up a conversation about Mercedes leaving Lima for California. "If only I can transfer just to go to Los Angeles and be with you."

Mercedes gushed. Sam can be a pretty goofy person. This time, he sounded so serious. Him leave Lima for her? As generous as that sounded to the black-haired girl, staying in Lima would probably be better for him at the moment.

"I'm sorry, Lips," the girl spoke up, placing her finger on those thick yappers on Sam's face. "You're free to long-distance chat with me any time you want, though."

"Do you promise to respond?" Sam asked with an _are you positive_ pitch.

"Always."

Joe couldn't help but smile at their blossoming romance. At the beginning of his time in McKinley, he just assumed they were best friends, and that Shane Tinsley guy was just a bully. There was so much more. They cuddled, kissed, smiled, and everything for each other.

This was how relationships should be. Joe always thought this way when he first remembered kissing Quinn on their first date. Everyone should be happy. God wants everyone to be happy. With luck Joe and Quinn, and Mercedes and Sam won't be in one of those broken relationships, like the two students Teen Jesus saw break up about a week ago.

Mercedes finally shot a look at Joe, including him in her last statement. "I'll promise to call and respond to all of my friends. Why would I go down to California without doing so?"

Joe grinned. "Your message box will probably be full from the both of us."

Sam punched Joe in the arm. "More like mine alone, Teen Jesus."

The black-haired girl giggled at the bromance in front of her. She couldn't believe how much Sam and Joe have bonded since they've been in the God Squad together. Gosh, she was going to miss them.

Quinn just joined the three at the table with her plate of food. She already witnessed the three having a little fun get-together before blessing the food and eating. "Eating and talking without me?" the blonde girl spoke up, taking her seat between Joe and Mercedes.

The dreadlocked boy brought his hand up to Quinn's free hand. "Never," he replied, tugging her down so she can be seated next to him.

The blonde blushed, and took her seat, preparing to pray with the God Squad.

"Dear Lord, in the name of Jesus," Mercedes spoke while all four heads bowed for the blessing. "We thank you for the food, and hope that the three of us can still bond whether we're separated or not. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen."

"Amen," Sam stepped in afterwards.

"Amen," both Joe and Quinn spoke simultaneously.

Mercedes looked up at that action and smiled. Those two were so adorable to her. She started having that feeling her mother had when she first found out that she and Sam were a couple.

"You know, it's good that the four of us get to hang out together. I felt like I've come in peace with all three of you," Mercedes began, eating a piece of turkey with her plastic fork.

Sam and Joe both nodded, and then their heads sunk. Just thinking about the overall God Squad wasn't doing much in the conversation.

"The God Squad will be half gone once you two are gone," Sam spoke up, drinking some fruit punch in a red solo cup. "Recruiting new members won't be the same without you, Mercedes. Same with you, Quinn."

The blonde girl shrugged. "We can be the original four still, can't we?"

"I only joined about a year after the club was even—"

"You can still be a part of it, Joe. I mean, look at me. I quit for a long period of time, and I'm still an original member."

Joe sure didn't feel like an original member. Mercedes and Quinn first started the club sometime when they were having that sexy assignment in Glee club. Then Sam was put in the picture. When the school year started up again, Quinn went skank girl on everyone, and didn't return until a few days before Valentine's Day when Joe first came.

The fact that the three welcomed him as an original member seemed kinda overwhelming and bittersweet. These were, like, the most welcoming people he's ever met.

Rachel and the two lesbian Cheerios had just come over after Mercedes and Sam's last head nod.

"You know, the restaurant Santana requested for this post-graduation is…quite accommodating, isn't it?" the short brunette spoke up first, taking a seat at a table nearby Quinn and Sam.

Sam didn't have much of an overall opinion on the place, though. "It's…pleasing," he replied with a shrug.

Santana smirked, not helping Sam's criticism by his surroundings. Gee whiz, what more can Trouty Mouth do to make the Latina laugh so much? "Wow, you're just a quirky piece of man candy. Too bad I'll be seeing less of you and Mercedes, right?"

"And I'll miss you and Brittany, too."

"Brittany didn't graduate, remember?" Ugh, did he _not_ spot her in the audience with him just about an hour ago?

"Well, I'll just miss _you_ then."

Well, it definitely took back the dumbfounded comment he made a second ago—and made the Latina lesbian quirk up moderately. "Thank you. Sweet old memories, right?"

Sam smirked and nodded. _Oh Santana…_

In between eating, the already-graduated New Directions members discuss keeping up with each other. "I hope we can still converse with each other while the time is still going," Rachel spoke, more crisp and charmed than anyone else who tried to reach that high point. "Santana, I hope to see you soon, since you plan on going to New York sometime—"

"I'm going to Louisville, Kentucky."

Quinn dropped her fork on her plate, astonished to hear the news from the Latina. She's always been saying that she wanted to be famous and well-known. Kentucky was by far nothing she imagined. "You wanted to be famous, didn't you?"

"Yeah," Santana said matter-of-factly, "but Brittany and Coach Sylvester got that scholarship for me, and I can't just waste it. They've been the biggest help on my future yet—well, my mother, too, I might add."

_Well, it's better than nothing_, Rachel thought. "They were awfully considerate of doing that for you."

The Latina rolled her eyes playfully. "Of course. Coach Sue is my boss, and Britt-Britt is my bitch. Why would I want to go against my _boss_ and my _bitch_?" she asked with a questioning huff at the end.

Rachel scoffed, eating the rest of her salad on her plate. "_Of course…_"

Quinn giggled at the two brunettes' humor. God, they were so funny, especially Santana. She seemed to be the only girl in this school who cared for Brittany more than anything itself. Sue wouldn't do it because she was always scolding enough, and she could care less about any one of her struggling Cheerios.

"How long is it before you head off?" Sam asked both of the brunettes.

Rachel, still thinking about Santana's defense towards Brittany, started remembering what her two fathers discussed. "Daddy said that I might leave in about a week and a half or so," she answered, and then turned to Mercedes just northeast from her. "What about you?"

"In about a week," Mercedes replied, drinking some of the diet Pepsi left in her red solo cup. "My professor said that he's still working out some kinks for me on where I should be sleeping in the dorm area, so I'm not ready just yet."

With three of the God Squad members talking with Rachel, Santana, and Brittany, no one really noticed Joe on the quiet edge. They had just started talking about when they'll be leaving, and already, he was feeling a little ill. He didn't want these people to leave—especially Quinn.

The dreadlocked boy spotted her in the corner of his eye. He could care less if she had her graduation robe on or not; she was still brighter than anything he's ever seen before.

Depression pretty much took over everybody, but they damn well knew how to hide it and live present times. Joe certainly did the same, but then came home into his room, balling his eyes out at every moment he saw the blonde sob.

He'd cry in his sleep, having nightmares of the girl walking away from him, or even _fading_. Like she was a human angel, and it was her last time on earth. Jesus, along with the other swift angels among him grabbed the blonde by the arms and flew her up into the sky out of nowhere. Out of _nofuckingwhere_! She became like one of those ghosts from those movies, and no one on earth could see her. Not her golden, shining hair. Not her sparkly, hazel eyes. Not her sleek, porcelain skin. Nothing.

God, the boy was so helpless. He needed out. He needed some air. He needed to get something to drink. He needed to throw up. He needed to do something.

"Joseph?"

He suddenly heard Mercedes' voice after moments in zoning into the haunting reality. She seemed a little concerned. Why shouldn't she anyway? Everyone's pretty much upset about either leaving someone behind or watching someone leave. Really, it didn't matter at all.

Joe frantically looked around. Everyone was having conversations among themselves. Mercedes and Quinn were the only ones directly looking at him. Oh, the nerves. The goddamn nerves.

"What's wrong? Are you okay?" the black-haired girl asked again in a sweet tone.

Quinn grew a little worried. She placed a hand on Joe's shoulder, sending shocks through his body. "Joe…can you talk to us?"

How in bloody hell can he when he's two seconds away from crying in front of her? Joe couldn't handle this. This was too much pressure.

"Nothing," he spoke in a frantic, melancholy manner. "I just…I need to go."

He sprint up from his seat and sped walked out of the room. The two girls were left looking at each other, confused.

"I'll go talk to him," Mercedes insisted, getting up from her seat and walking out to where Joe was. Quinn looked back for just a second before returning to the meal placed in front of her.

* * *

Thank goodness the restaurant they were in had a hallway with a couple of benches and a trash can in it. Not only he needed to relax his mind away, but—holy crap. His stomach turned and tied into knots. He was definitely not feeling well.

He took a seat on the red velvet bench. The reality of what was to come was terrifying. It's like he's transferring to a new school, but…it was _Quinn_ and not him. Whether he was going to have a long-distance relationship with her or not, McKinley was going to be a whole lot different. Sure, the classrooms, the lunch hour, and the actual classes were going to be the same, but there were empty spaces around. About the majority of New Directions—or at least half; he wasn't keeping track anymore—is going to leave in a matter of weeks, or even _days_.

Everything was going by so fast. Why can't time stop for just a minute and get a look at what's going on here?

The image of the precious blonde came back to view. In a white dress, her hair falling down to her shoulders, and her eyes sparkling even if she blinked. Then, she walked away again. On the plane and to New Haven, Connecticut. She was gone at an instant. She wasn't gone right now, but it sure did look that way.

A tear shed from Joe's hazel eyes and ran down his face. Quinn was only in the room with the other graduates, their parents, and New Directions members that remained. Still, it's like she spiritually and mentally left her, not even saying a word and just calmly trying to avoid an emotional breakdown.

Another tear fell freely from his other eye. _Oh God, just help me, please. I can't do this thing without Quinn. I just can't!_ Joe begged God just to have her with him, but it didn't seem like it was going to be that way forever. There went another tear. Were the Niagara Falls really there hiding in Teen Jesus' eyes?

Mercedes had just stepped out to see a crestfallen Joe Hart sitting in the hallway alone, his face buried in his hands and his elbows resting in his lap. The girl couldn't help but show some sympathy for the poor guy.

"Joe…" she spoke up, sitting beside Joe and rubbing his back. She removed his hands from his face, which was completely wet from the tears falling down on his cheeks. "Tell me, Joe, what's wrong?"

A wet cough came from the boy's mouth, which he covered making sure he didn't spread any germs on Mercedes. "I just – I – I can't—" He couldn't even finish a sentence because he was so busy trying to breathe from his sobbing.

Mercedes gave every attempt to rub his back and try to understand what he was saying. "You can't what?"

More tears fell down the poor boy's face. At the moment, a Quinn Fabray that only he could see appeared straight behind her. She was standing in the prom dress she wore about a week before today. She was still the same pretty girl with the lavender dress, but faded in and out until she completely vanished.

"I can't…" He tried to finish the sentence as best as he could. "I don't want to do another school year without Quinn."

He knew very well that it was important for her to graduate. She's been wanting this moment forever. Now she's heading off to Yale and pursuing her lifetime goals. But what about her relationship with _Joe_? They'd be so separate from each other. They'll hardly have enough time to see each other. And visiting on the holidays and breaks wouldn't be the same as it was on Valentine's Day. It was a magical, though nerve-wracking, moment in Joe's life.

Sooner or later, all of that was going to be gone.

"She's helped me _so_ much throughout my first time being in high school. I thought I would be nervous about surviving my sophomore year, but then she was a light that came for me and made me feel comfortable," he continued between sobs and sniffles.

Mercedes understood everything he felt. Quinn was her friend, too. Plus, the way she and Joe's relationship flourished throughout the last few months was adorable and a big break from all the crap that Quinn has been through.

"The days before today's graduation hit, she was so…so upset about leaving. Leaving her mom and her house. Leaving Brittany and Santana. Leaving you and Rachel. Leaving me," Joe continued. "She was clinically depressed for the past few weeks—hell, months even. All this time, I've been trying to help her cope, but it's only making me feel worse."

Confusion swam through Mercedes' head. "Why did it make _you_ feel worse?"

"I watched her cry. I watched her dread. I watched her mope. I watched her as she curled in a ball and saw darkness for the rest of the day," Joe answered. "I watched her through all the rough, saddening times. I've been trying to think up ways to make her feel happy, which some of them did work, by the way." Mercedes nodded to that.

Joe's lips and chin trembled. Every time he had to see a sad facial expression on the blonde, it made him feel worse about the fact that he has to stay in Lima while Quinn moves on to Connecticut. Jesus, that was far away.

"Even when I've made her feel happy at the end of the day, I feel lonely and upset once night hits and when my mom and dad are carrying on their business," Joe went on with his explanation. "I just put the covers over my head and cry myself to sleep. And each time I do, I always feel an empty space between my hand and Quinn's. She moves further away from me, and I can't seem to reach her. Like I'm stuck in a pile of cement, and it just hardened around my feet."

His voice cracked a couple of times, Mercedes noticed. He covered his mouth with one of his hands, still crying and thinking of Quinn. My gosh, he couldn't believe this was actually happening.

"She—" He tried to say something else, but it wouldn't come out. "I'm so sorry, Mercedes. God, I can't handle all of this."

The tears that continuously fell to his cheeks made Mercedes even more worried. She brought her arms up to the dreadlocked boy and gave him an assuring, soft, sweet hug. "You'll be okay, Joe. It's okay," she spoke into his ear as he sobbed out all the water in his body.

"No…no, it won't be," he spoke up again. "You'll be leaving, too, Mercedes. Half of the God Squad and New Directions will be gone." He didn't know other members like Mike Chang and Kurt Hummel that well, but he was still going to miss the people leaving, regardless. "You and _Quinn_ will _both_ be gone. What are Sam and I supposed to do then?"

Mercedes practically awed at that statement. He was right, though. Sam and Joe were going to be the only God Squad members left, and Sam was graduating next year. That left Joe alone. All the people he first met when he came to McKinley would then be all gone. Who would he have to look up to then?

"Joe, you can still contact me and Quinn whenever you want," Mercedes replied, cradling Joe in her soft, warm arms. "Like I said before, I'll promise to respond to anything you have to say. I wouldn't just abandon you and Sam like that."

Teen Jesus sniffled a little. Although he felt a little better about that idea, he was still saddened and nervous. "How…how would you keep up your…your relationship with Sam?" he stuttered.

That was a good question to consider.

Mercedes was headed off to the other side of the country, leaving Sam to do another school year in Lima, Ohio. Sure, she would get to contact and stuff, but the actual _visiting_ and stuff was going to be a little tricky.

Not only their relationship was going to be tricky, but so was Joe and Quinn's. They, too, will be in different states and different schools, attending classes with different people. They won't have time to be together because of all the work.

Well, they had the holidays and breaks from school. A part of that was good.

"We're still planning on doing long-distance together," Mercedes informed. "Maybe when summer vacation comes around, or maybe Christmas, I can take a flight to Lima to see him, and then…you know, the usual. Just a visit."

It didn't really sound as a helpful answer Joe hoped for. He wanted more than just a couple of visits. He wanted to spend as much time as he wanted with his beautiful blonde. God, help him—the girl's angelic voice, her sweet smell, the fruit-flavored gloss. He was going to miss out on all of that.

Mercedes turned back to him, noticing more tears fallen down. This has got to be the first time the girl has seen Joe this vulnerable about Quinn.

"You'll get to see Quinn, too. I know it," she brought the conversation back up. "She loves you, and you love her. There shouldn't be a reason for you guys to not be in love and still see each other, right?"

Joe continued to tremble. He _did_ love that girl. She was the light that brightened each day. Not even the sun itself can measure up to that.

Mercedes rubbed his back some more. He somewhat agreed, but couldn't get the image of her walking away from him out of his head. Mercedes wholeheartedly knew how he felt. She was moving away the furthest she's ever gone, far away from Sam Evans. He was the first boy she's ever fallen in love with, and now she's going away to California. It was going to be longer than she expected until she got to see him ever again.

The girl brought Joe closer to her, and allowed him to rest his light head on her shoulder. His forehead burned, and his face got wet again after moments of crying. He was practically a _baby_. A soft, kind-hearted, newborn baby. He was getting used to McKinley in his sophomore year, and it's like his favorite stuffed animals were taken away from him. It's like _everything_ was being taken away from him.

His sobs came back all of a sudden. Mercedes hugged him tighter and rubbed little circles on his back with the palm of her hand. "You're going to be okay, Joe. I know it."

Joe didn't feel like everything was going to be alright. Literally every ten seconds, the same damn image of Quinn walking away from him would come up, and he'd become sober again. It was so fucking annoying and distracting. He should be proud of her, but he feels bad for her. Why can't she just be a sophomore when he first came and be his close-by girlfriend forever?

"Joseph?" Mercedes looked up and saw Judy Fabray peek her head out of the door. She had been looking around for the dreadlocked boy like his mother directed her. "_What's wrong with him?_" Her voice was suddenly quieter being that Joe was in an uncomfortable state.

"He's…he's not feeling that well right now," the black-haired girl spoke, still rubbing Teen Jesus' back. More tears fell down his face, looking at a random spot at the other side of the hallway.

Judy knelt down to Joe, taking in all of the tears he let out from his eyes. Was his mother going to have to hear about a problem he got from somebody? Or was he just plain emotional?

"Joe, do you want me to talk with your mother about anything? You having a problem, sweetie?" the nice woman asked.

All Joe replied with was a head shake.

"Nothing's wrong?" she asked.

The dreadlocked boy found many things wrong, actually. Quinn and Mercedes were leaving, with half of the God Squad left to find new members to fill in their voids. Half of New Directions was gone. Now they had to find new members in their places.

Quinn was the main problem. She was leaving him, and probably not coming back until she graduates college—another four freakin' years!

But he didn't want to leave so early. He wanted to stay with the God Squad, and spend all the time he can with them possible. They were the first-ever friends he's ever had. He needed at least more time with them.

"No," he finally croaked, and added a sniffle afterwards.

Judy rubbed the poor boy's knee. He had so many tears. Something had to be wrong with him. He didn't get hurt by anybody, and no one said anything to him. Of course with her daughter leaving, Judy assumed that the dreadlocked boy was dearly missing her. She was going to miss Quinn, too. She was her young, wonderful daughter. How could she not?

"Alright," she spoke softly, allowing the boy to freely rest and cry on Mercedes' shoulder. She was so kind to care for him in his time of sorrow. "You can come back in whenever you like. The party will be over with soon, though, okay?"

Joe nodded, with his lips still trembling. The blonde woman walked back in the room with the other partygoers, leaving the two God Squad members out to relax—or at least try, in Joe's case.

Mercedes looked back at the boy's drowned face. He still cried, dreading the day Quinn finally leaves and he's stuck behind by himself. "I'm so sorry, Joe," Mercedes replied to his cries. "I know this is a tough time for all of us. I know it is."

He couldn't agree more, especially since the fact that his first-ever girlfriend was leaving to another school was coming true.

"Mercedes…" he responded immediately, choking out another cry. "I…I love her. I just…I love her so much."

The black-haired girl nodded. "I know you do, Joe. I'm sorry," she said, rubbing her hand from his forehead to his ponytail of dreads. "I'm going to miss her, too. We'll get through this thing together."

Joe couldn't be more blessed to have Mercedes with him at this moment than ever before. He was a really big help. And although she was missing Sam a lot, she still could help other people with their depression problems—not that she had to butt in or anything like that.

He looked up at her for a second and sniffled again, praying to God that she was right. "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

* * *

After moments of calming down and wiping the tears away, Joe followed Mercedes back in the room. People were already continuing to dance and have a good time. Unfortunately, both Quinn and Sam were alone, figuring out where their significant others went.

"Are you sure you're going to be okay?" Mercedes asked, turning towards Teen Jesus and making sure from his dry face.

Joe nodded. "I'm sure."

But he was positive that he wasn't. He spotted Quinn standing by herself next to a random table, watching what looked to be Finn Hudson and Kurt Hummel having a brotherly dance-off. She was so lonely over there. Joe wasn't even sure if he can hold off the tears until after this was over.

Well, here goes nothing.

He took careful steps, making sure he didn't wobble or anything, and finally made it on the other side. Quinn was relieved to see him again. "Joe," she spoke, bringing her arms up to hug the boy. She put her head onto Joe's chest with the fast-paced heart beating underneath.

She finally let go after a long-lasting hug, and then took a moment to look up at him. He didn't look so well. _Did he just throw up?_ Quinn wondered as she brought her hand up to his cheek. "Joe, are you okay? You look kind of…pale."

Joe bit his bottom lip, eyeing the blonde. God, he was going to have to watch as all of these wonderful features were leaving on the plane to some airport in Connecticut. He can't handle the pressure. He thought he could, but he just can't.

His hand balled up. He tried to prevent himself from shivering again. Quinn could tell he was, though, by his trembling lips and the worry in his eyes.

"Joe…" the girl spoke up again.

Mercedes, standing about four feet away, noticed this. Sam did as well. This wasn't going to turn out as great as imagined.

Teen Jesus shook his head, not even thinking anymore about what he wants to say. "I'm…" he first said, and then looked down at the blonde. "Quinn…I am so sorry, but I can't do this. I…I just can't do this."

He finally let go of the blonde, and took a seat at a random table. Quinn followed him, standing beside his chair, observing the poor boy's appearance. He really didn't look so well.

"You…you can't do what?" Quinn asked.

"If I tell…" Joe sniffled again. He felt the tears coming onto him again. "If I tell you, you're just gonna cry again."

What?

Was he talking about, like, cheating? Joe said himself that he'd never betray her. Never in his life. So…what was he talking about?

"How do you know?"

Joe's eyes got watery again. God, there were so many emotions he's going through. He's angry because he never got out of the homeschooling thing earlier. He's upset because the first girl he's ever fallen in love with is leaving with him. He'll soon to be lonely once she settles in New Haven.

Yep, she was going to cry again. He was sure of it.

"You…you just don't get it, do you?" Teen Jesus asked his girlfriend who looked down at him sitting. "I…I just love you so much. I don't want _be_ abandoned from you. We've been on this ride for only a little while, and you're leaving soon. Every time I make you feel better, when I think it's helping me, too, I feel worse inside. I make you comfortable about leaving, but it makes me _uncomfortable_ about the fact that I won't see you that often anymore."

Oh, my God.

Quinn sucked in all of his words. He was telling the actual truth. They _won't_ see each other that often anymore. Everything will be limited: the visits, the kissing and hugging, the whole _sitting next to each other during lunch_ thing.

Joe was right. It wasn't going to be complete.

And here she was, thinking that Joe didn't have tear-heavy feelings about her leaving, and just wanted her to feel confident. There was so much more. He was feeling utterly vulnerable on the inside than anyone had ever known.

Quinn bit her bottom lip at the sight of Joe letting tears fall down his face again. No wonder he was looking pale. "I love you so much, Quinn. But…I can't stand the fact that you're leaving me behind, and I have to face going to school _alone_!" Joe spoke, trying to wipe some tears away. That didn't really work, unfortunately. "That's…that's why I can't do this anymore."

The blonde got a little nervous again. Just looking at her poor boyfriend almost brought her into tears. She couldn't stand to see him upset. She couldn't stand being upset herself. It brought the worst out of both of them, really.

Joe had buried his face in his hands again, hopefully without Quinn looking at the tears falling freely down his face. Quinn nodded understandably, but uneasy. "I…I understand."

She took a couple of steps back, observing the boy from where she was standing. Then at an instant, she whirled around out the door, crying her eyes out towards the women's bathroom.

Mercedes and Sam both saw Quinn leave and Joe crying. They had to do something, but they didn't know what. They didn't want to have their friends crying, though.

And it wasn't long before some people around Joe noticed him sitting down and sobbing continuously.

This was too fucking frustrating. He needed his strength back. He needed his happiness back. He needed Quinn back. He was everything he needed. But she'll be leaving in about a few weeks—maybe even a few days.

_God, help me, please. I need this. I need to stop crying, but…but I need Quinn. Can you please help me? I'm begging you, please…_


	28. Chapter 27

Chapter Twenty-Seven

"Bed covers, check. Pillows, check. Pillow covers, check."

Everything said was checked off on a _coming to California with me_ list.

Mercedes was preparing to leave for Los Angeles tomorrow. Gosh, tomorrow. It seemed like just yesterday she was with her fellow God Squad members, and she was having a good time. Not only that, but she helped a friend cope with his depression.

Oh, that poor guy. He still must be crushed.

"Clothes, check. Shoes, check. Purses, check. Jewelry, check."

There was so much stuff Mercedes had to check off on her list. So far she handled the clothes and the bed area. There was more to do, though.

Good thing Sam came over to help.

The boy was loaded down with some DVDs and CDs Mercedes had in her closet. He tried fitting them all in a box labeled _Mercedes' Entertainment_ on it without breaking or scratching anything.

"I'm surprised you didn't listen to this one in a while," Sam said, looking at a CD labeled _Chocolate Thunder_ in black permanent marker. "I made this for you before the end of junior year, remember?"

_Yep, I definitely remember…_

It was only after New Directions lost Nationals. Everyone was obviously upset they lost, especially since the kiss between Finn and Rachel may have caused it—well, Santana blamed the two for that one.

Mercedes and Sam had this ongoing conversation at Breadstix. They were disappointed that they lost, Mercedes a little more than Sam. She discussed with him how much ridicule she was going to get returning back to school with everyone seeping in the memory of their loss at Nationals.

Sam told her that she had nothing to worry about, and that's when he brought out the CD. It was full of Mercedes' favorite songs from Jennifer Hudson to Destiny's Child. That's when the black-haired girl asked if they could date.

Gosh, the memory of that swept Mercedes off her feet.

"Well, I know what I'm listening to each night before bed," she spoke singsongy at the sight of the CD Sam held in one hand.

That brought a smirk up on Trouty Mouth's face. At least she'll be listening to the tracks to remind her of him when she's gone. That's something he calls progress he's made.

The blonde boy walked out of the room to get more boxes from the basement. There was still a lot of stuff to pack up for when Mercedes leaves for California. Hopefully, they'd be done by today.

"_Anyway you want it, that's the way you need it; anyway you want it…_"

The ringtone for the song "Anyway You Want It" came on Mercedes' cell phone. She walked over to her night stand and looked at the caller ID. The number didn't look anything familiar.

She assumed that it was from her professor at UCLA, the school she got accepted in from the many schools she applied to. Maybe there was a change of plans. Oh God, she did _not_ want that, especially how hard it was for her to get into that school.

She pressed a button on her phone and put it up to her ear. "Hello?"

"Hello, Mercedes? It's me."

Now that was something familiar: the voice of God Squad member, Joe Hart.

The dreadlocked boy on the other line sounded down today, almost like he was last week. The poor guy cried in Mercedes' arms, his head laying on her shoulder, and lips and chin trembling like crazy. He was so helpless. He couldn't stand still for even one minute.

Everything just past so fast. Valentine's Day. Prom night. Graduation. Of course, he was feeling down.

Joe sounded like he had been depressed all week. Like he locked himself in his bedroom like his girlfriend did, and cried his eyes out just thinking of the blonde girl walking on that plane and heading on her way.

It sounded pretty petty for him to cry because his girlfriend was leaving, knowing that long-distance was still an option. But…he was going to miss holding onto her, hugging her, kissing her—hell, everything with her. Not to mention that there could be other guys at Yale trying to steal her away from him.

But…he can't have it. He _won't_ have it.

"Joseph? Hey." Mercedes' sweet voice whispered through the cell phone's receiver. "Are you feeling any better?"

It had been a whole week. He never said anything, unless he was praying or doing a little home Bible session with his parents. Other than that, he wouldn't say a word. His stomach turned into knots at times, and he still cried in his sleep. The girl leaving him to board that plane always haunted him in his dreams.

Is that _feeling better_ for you? Not!

The dreadlocked boy shook his head. "No," he choked, looking down at his bare feet.

_Oh, that poor Teen Jesus…_ Mercedes couldn't help but feel sorry for him. He'd do anything for Quinn—anything. This time, there's nothing for him to do about it, though, because Quinn's headed for another state. They won't be in the same two periods in school anymore nor will have that much time to go out afterschool.

Then she thought about Quinn. That girl was probably let down, agreeing to what Joe said about her crying once she heard his statement. The black-haired girl hoped that they didn't break up or anything. If they did, then it would be worse than it already is.

Joe cleared his throat on the other line. "M-Mercedes," he spoke up after seconds of silence. God, he needed a friend right now. Any friend. A close friend. A best friend. A random friend. _Anybody_. "Can I…can I come over, if possible to talk with you? I'm just…I just need someone right now."

Yep, the boy was emotionally desperate.

Boxes were scattered all around in Mercedes' room. Sam was still downstairs, retrieving boxes for the rest of her stuff. There was a lot to do. She still waited on the professor at UCLA to call and confirm for her to depart to Los Angeles.

She didn't want to let Joe down, either.

"I'm…sorry, Joe," she replied remorsefully. "I have to get ready to leave tomorrow."

Joe nodded, understanding that Quinn wasn't the only one getting ready for college. How was he going to handle this problem, though? He wanted advice from somebody—not _wanted_, actually—_needed_ advice from someone. Mercedes and Sam were the only ones who could help him.

Mercedes' stomach dropped after she said what she said. She needed to help Joe. He was one of her newest best friends. She was a trustworthy person. She wouldn't leave anyone in the dust like that—especially someone who was kind and considerate like poor Teen Jesus.

"What did you want to talk about?"

Joe gripped onto the house phone, trying to get his words out as best as possible. "Well…I'm not sure if Quinn already left or not," he began, "but I felt like I screwed up at the post-graduation party. I didn't mean to say what I said, but…well, I wanted to make sure if I hurt her or anything."

The black-haired girl nodded on the other line.

"Not only that, but…I'm trying to face the fact that she'll be leaving sometime soon, but I'm not ready just yet."

Mercedes tried thinking of what to tell the dreadlocked boy. She ran out of ideas, until—

_Oh shit, I forgot!_

She remembered Quinn telling her a few days before graduation that she was leaving _this week_! She probably already left. Or did she? Joe would be heartbroken if she did. His first and only love would've left him behind already, or even worse—dumped him!

She had to tell Joe. But…good God, he didn't want to say goodbye yet. He wanted at least a couple more days with his girlfriend. Just a couple more days.

Well, if she told him now, he'd have a couple more hours at least…

"Joe," the girl finally spoke up into the phone, "I don't know how to tell you this—"

_God, please don't tell me it's bad news_, Joe prayed. _If it's bad news, then I'm going to be wrecked for life!_

"What is it?"

"Quinn is leaving today."

Joe's eyes bugged out of his head. Quinn, for goddamn sakes, was leaving _today_! Why was he just now warned? He could've at least gotten the memo at the post-graduation party, and he'd get a head start on his goodbyes.

Wait—he didn't want to say goodbye. Quinn may have already left! Oh God, did she leave? Did she leave Joe by himself? Did she break up with the poor Christian boy?

He had to know right _now_!

"When? Is she already on the plane?"

Mercedes panicked. She knew Joe was going to be straight-up nervous once she told him this. She needed to dial Quinn's phone. She needed to see if she was still at home getting ready. Everything was so fucking rushed at the last minute. Now she can't keep up with anything.

"I don't know," she spoke to Joe. "We can go to her house and see. Give me your address and I'll pick you up."

"Pick who up?"

Sam had just come upstairs with about two more empty boxes, eyeing the sight of his girlfriend on the phone with somebody. Was she late for something? What all was happening?

The girl spotted Sam at the corner of her eye. "Joe," she told him, holding the phone away from her ear. "Quinn's leaving today, and he wants to see her."

Sam only gave her a single nod. He wasn't going to just let Joe give up on her anyway. In Sam's book of smooth moves, that wasn't gonna fly nowhere. Besides, the boy was desperate for her. Sam could tell by how he stressed the words _love_, _Quinn_, and _girlfriend_.

While the blonde boy headed downstairs to start his car, Mercedes wrote down Joe's address on a random sheet of notebook paper. Once she and the dreadlocked boy made the agreement, she took her phone, the address on the paper, and her purse with her to Sam's car.

"Where to?" Mercedes' boyfriend in the driver's seat interrogated.

"Sixty-two, thirty-one Phelps Avenue," Mercedes said, reading off the sheet of paper in her hands. She fumbled with the many items in her hands as she tried to attempt putting the seat belt on. At the last minute, joking around with the blonde boy, she demanded, "and step on it."

A smirk grew on Sam's face. _This is one badass Mercedes Jones I've got_.

The silver VW left the curb by Mercedes' house at an instant. The girl's head hit the head of the chair for a split second once Sam was playing riding his car as fast as he could to Joe's home.

Annoyed with the speed, Mercedes took hold of Sam's arm. "I was just playing, goddamn it!"

Trouty Mouth couldn't help but laugh. Sooner or later, when Mercedes gets really famous in Hollywood, she was _definitely_ going to encounter that phase when she demands her chauffer to speed around to wherever she wanted.

Or, at least it'll be one of those days when she's either tired of paparazzi, late attending the recording studio, or going to kick another celebrity's ass.

The VW turned another corner past the corner store where Sam and Mercedes go for snacks. Then it curved past the park. Finally, they made it to Phelps Avenue. They just needed the right address number.

The girl could only think of how disappointed she was of herself. She could've said something earlier. Joe wouldn't have been sitting at home all week, trying to figure out how in Jesus' name he was going to say goodbye to the blonde girl. He could've spent the rest of these few days with the girl he cares about instead of letting depression take him down. Him and Quinn both, actually.

Now for all Mercedes and Joe knew, the girl may have left. She could've gone on to New Haven with not one bit of cheery emotion about seeing her roommate and sleeping in a nice dorm room. Something that every boy or girl graduating from high school to college would be looking forward to.

Oh, life is such a freakin' emotional roller coaster, it is.

Sam stopped the VW in front of Joe's house. The two spotted a dreadlocked mane from the front door. The boy called to his mother and father inside before jetting over to the VW parked in front of the house.

"Mercedes, Sam!" he called as he climbed into the back seat. He had a small brown box in his hands that he set in the seat beside him as he buckled his seat belt.

"Thank God," Mercedes said from the passenger's seat next to Sam. He had just turned the ignition back on, and skid on past different streets.

It made Joe feel so intense. _Thank God for Sam almost speeding on the road and stuff_, he thought. Quinn needed to know how he felt. She needed to see him for—well, it's not the last, but it felt like it—moment before school starting up again.

Sam kept his eyes on the road. He didn't know why they were headed to Quinn's house anyway. Telling from the relief coming from Joe, something had to be up.

"Dude, what's with all this?"

"I need to get to Quinn."

Quinn. Obvious.

"I felt like I made a mistake last week," Joe continued. He fiddled with his fingers that lay comfortably on his lap. _I can't do this anymore_. He remembered exactly what he told the blonde, making her run out from the party and tear up worse than he did. He felt so guilty. He assumed that she broke up with him, but wasn't really sure.

"All last week, I didn't want to face her, knowing that I screwed up really bad," he continued. "I only said that I couldn't do this anymore because I couldn't bear to see Quinn leave to Connecticut. I thought she kinda…well, took it the wrong way."

Sam nodded, trying to take in everything he just said.

"So, let me get this straight," he spoke up. "You said something to her, which she may have thought was something else, and you assume that she…_dumped_ you?"

Joe nodded, Sam saw from the mirror hanging from above.

The blonde boy shook his head. "Joe, don't be crazy," he said. He started to slow down a little, being that he almost lost his place. "The only way Quinn can dump you is if you either cheated on her or were never interested in her in the first place—"

Joe's eyes bugged out of his head, directed towards Sam. "How could you say such a thing?" he asked in utter surprise. "Lose interest in Quinn?"

The boy in the driver's seat shrugged. "It could happen."

_I can just slap that boy in the fucking face_, Mercedes thought as she leaned against the car door, holding her head up and looking out the window.

The VW turned one more corner until it stopped in front of Quinn's house. The ignition was turned off, and immediately, Mercedes and Joe jumped out and ran to the front porch. Sam lazily followed behind. Hopefully, he was going to be able to catch his breath when he caught up.

Joe knocked three times. It took a little while before Judy answered.

"Mrs. Fabray, ma'am," Joe nearly pleaded. "Is Quinn here? Please, I need to talk to her. I want to say sorry about something. I need her to be here right now."

Mercedes swallowed at the sight of her desperate, dreadlocked friend. It sure did sound like he was going to cry again if Judy told him the wrong thing.

Judy looked stressed. Her eyes directed to the staircase, and then the ceiling. That girl was still up in her room. Once again, Judy couldn't get her out. Lucky for Joe, Mercedes, and Sam to stop by before she did.

"Sweetheart…" she spoke, almost trailing off. Her eyes then shot to Quinn's luggage in the living room. They were all ready to be placed on the plane to New Haven, Connecticut.

However, the owner wasn't.

"She's…feeling a little…off today. A little shaken up, really," she continued.

Although glad that she didn't leave, Joe still felt worried for her.

Judy's body shook a little. She was so nervous. In about an hour—maybe an hour and a half—she was going to set her daughter free. She didn't want her to leave, just as much as Joe didn't. Everyone was panicking at the moment. Quinn was the only thing that held them all together nicely, but unfortunately, she had to go.

"You can go see her," Judy choked. "Hopefully, she'll open up for you."

"Why wouldn't she open up?" Mercedes asked.

Judy took in as much breath as she can. God, this was difficult. More than it's ever been. She couldn't even bear to answer the question. She just allowed the three God Squad members to walk past.

While Mercedes and Sam walked slowly to the stairs, Joe ran up them as fast as he could. If anything, he needed to at least see her before the worst part comes.

_Hopefully, she'll open up for you_.

Joe really hoped she opened up. He hoped that more than anything. All he wanted was to have her and comfort her. That's all he wanted.

Two more steps—and there it was. Quinn's closed bedroom door.

Joe took a breath. He was so nervous. His fingers shook in unison. His toes crumbled from under his sandal strap. His legs and arms quivered. Sweat rolled down his forehead. He just needed to knock on the door, step in, and see what he knows is coming.

He stood there frozen, though. He couldn't move.

"Joe." Teen Jesus heard Mercedes come towards him. "You alright?"

He didn't reply. He just gave the girl a worried look. What if she didn't open? What if she's mad? What if she changed her mind on all the dreams she wanted to accomplish?

Why were there so many _what ifs_?

"I can go in for you, if you're not ready yet," Mercedes offered.

It was better than quivering like some dude with Tourette's, that's for sure.

Mercedes slowly twisted the doorknob and peeked inside. The room was almost empty—well, the dressers and vanity desk still sat in their place. Some of Quinn's stuff was still there. Others had been sent to New Haven to be sent to her new dorm room. Clothes she didn't want or grew out of still sat in the almost-empty closet. Her mom sure did clean the place out. It's like the whole Fabray family was moving out of something.

And there on the bed with only white bed sheets was her. Quinn Fabray.

Her face was buried in the pillow with only the white pillow cover on it. Her colorful bed sheets had been sent to New Haven with all of her other stuff. Regardless of anything, she didn't want up off that bed. She clung to it like a baby did with its little teddy bear, cherishing any moment she had left in this room.

Tears were flying out of her eyes like crazy. She couldn't look anyone directly in the eye lately, especially since she'll have to leave most of them. Mercedes could hear her sob. Oh, that poor girl.

"Quinnie…" Mercedes called with her soft, comforting voice.

The black-haired girl walked towards the bed and sat on it beside Quinn, rubbing her back and watching her mourn.

"Quinn, can you talk to me?" Mercedes attempted to speak with her again.

The blonde girl lifted her face out of the pillow and looked Mercedes in the eye. Her face was so wet. Had she been crying all morning? It sure did seem like it.

Mercedes brought her arms up to hug the weeping blonde. She fell heavily onto her shoulder, still crying her eyes out and taking a firm grip of her. Mercedes could feel her heavy pain and her flowing tears. It was the most poignant reaction she's ever gotten.

Sam suddenly stepped in the room, eyeing the sight of his girlfriend and his ex-girlfriend sharing a hug. Poor Quinn Fabray had so many tears that could fill a whole ocean.

"Quinn…" he started to speak as he made his way to the bed beside Mercedes.

He spotted the petite girl lifting her head up, looking up and down at him. His hair was short, but still looked cute on him. The same muscular arms and abs sat perfectly on his body, Quinn could tell by seeing his upper body in just a blue, short-sleeved shirt.

She was going to miss these two. Mercedes was so kind enough to let Quinn stay at her house when she was pregnant and had to stay at Puck's place—who, by the way, wasn't the best choice she had in her life. And then there was Sam. They kinda had a rocky road last year, but at least they patched up and became simple friends. Something was made progress there.

"Sam," the girl muttered out just by gazing at him. She reached one of her arms out so he was able to hug him as well.

The three were on the bed, two hugging the melancholy blonde. Joe noticed all of this from where he was standing in the hallway. He couldn't bear to go in there, watching as every drop of tears fell down her porcelain face. He just couldn't bear it. She did need support, though.

"We just wanted to see how you were doing," Mercedes spoke, which made Joe jump out of view of the doorway.

Quinn tried wiping her face off, but it wasn't really helping. "M-Mercedes…" she stuttered. "I…I don't…I don't know how I can go through with this. I just don't know." Her voice cracked a couple of times. Some words she couldn't get out properly because of her cries and trying to breathe from them.

"I'm positive that you can," Mercedes told her, combing the girl's short, blonde locks with her fingers. "We both can. I'm sure of it."

Sam nodded at this action. _Good thing my girlfriend and my ex are really great friends_, he thought. He really did mean it, too.

Before—from what he heard from Finn and Puck—Quinn was the bitchy, popular girl, and the only two words she's said to Mercedes was _you_ and _suck_—well, at least Mercedes thought that. Then Quinn got pregnant, and they've become close friends ever since.

And it was the sweetest thing he's ever seen between them.

"I have to pack up to leave tomorrow," Mercedes said slowly and sweetly, still brushing Quinn's hair with her fingers. "Sam and I just wanted to say goodbye when you head out on your way."

Quinn sniffled. She was sick of the goodbyes. Goodbye to Will Schuester. Goodbye to Coach Sylvester. Goodbye to New Directions and Cheerios. Goodbye to Rachel. Goodbye to Santana and Brittany. Now Sam and Mercedes were saying their farewells. Sooner or later, it's going to be saying goodbye to her mother. This was too much for Quinn to swallow. She's surprised she can swallow at all.

Her eyes glanced up at Sam for a minute, noticing his nod, and then looked back at Mercedes. Her sympathetic eyes stayed on the girl's wet face full of tears.

"Someone else wants to talk with you, too."

The black-haired girl, gently removing herself from Quinn, stepped to the doorway, whispering to Joe in the hallway.

Quinn didn't even have to guess who it was. A couple strands of dreads can be seen beside Mercedes by the door. Saying goodbye to Joe was one of the worst goodbyes up to date. She wasn't ready.

Can't she just have a minute without people waving at her and watching her suffer?

Mercedes turned back around, grabbing onto Joe's forearm and bringing him inside with her. He stood about eight footsteps away from Quinn. The girl panicked inside. Her heavy breaths and cries were coming onto her again.

"Mercedes, no!" the girl cried. "No, Mercedes, no. Please don't let me do this. Please don't let me do this—"

Joe felt his stomach drop. Quinn was so helpless and scared. He couldn't stand seeing her like this. The pleading girl in front of Mercedes proved to him either two things: she didn't want to say goodbye to him because she was going to miss him, or she didn't want anything to do with him after what he said.

God, he hoped the first one was right.

He watched as Mercedes clenched onto Quinn's shoulders and looked her in the eyes. He could hear her speak from even a distance away. "_Quinn, you've got to do this. Joe's been missing you and worried about you all week long. Please just do this for him_."

Mercedes sure did mean well. He couldn't have handled that as well as she did.

The black-haired girl let go of the blonde, allowing her to take steps towards Joe. He still stood there, biting his bottom lip and eyeing his girlfriend. She had more tears than she did before. It was always a sad day when it came to her—whether it was in the past or in the present. She needed at least another happy day.

Or a day that wasn't so lonely, perhaps.

She took steady steps towards him. Her legs wobbled and her eyes watered again. It was like a zombie that saw her mother get shot.

Joe was so upset. How could he not? Just look at the girl.

"Quinn—"

He had just held his arms up, hoping the blonde would just come over and hug him. Unfortunately, she couldn't face him. She couldn't face the fact that she had to say goodbye to him. She can't face _any_ of these people, actually.

"No, no, no," the girl begged, trying to back away from Joe as more tears fell from her face.

But the dreadlocked boy wasn't going to take that. He took bigger steps, finally being able to grab her arms and pull her slightly close. "I just want to—"

He felt a lump in his throat as Quinn threw his hands away from her.

"Joe, please! I can't—don't! Please." She tried finding a way out, but the three God Squad members all surrounded her. Sam even took hold of her just when she was about to turn back to her bed and sob once more.

"Quinn!" Sam called to her, even though the girl was facing him while he took a firm grip of her. "Why won't you let him touch you? What's going on?"

Seriously? What _wasn't_ going on with her?

The blonde girl took a deep breath. Everything was getting intense. She was so sick of people either setting her free or trying to hold her down. She just needed a fucking break just for once.

"I can't take anymore of this pressure," the girl spoke up, unusually calm all of a sudden. She looked to frown up just a little. She held some of the tears in her eyes, and felt the heat rising around the area of her forehead and her hair line. "I can't take anymore of life trying to do this to me. I _want_ people to stop saying goodbye to me. I _want_ people to stop making me go. I _want_ to just be a freshman again! Is that too much to ask?"

_So…it's just that? She's not mad at me?_

Joe tried looking for her eyes, but she still faced Sam. She was too embarrassed to even look back at her boyfriend. "Is that what this is about?"

Quinn didn't give a response. She just huffed a little.

"I…I thought you were mad at me."

The girl didn't turn around. Her eyes were closed shut, although shocked at what Joe just said. "I wouldn't ever be mad at you. I _love_ you too much to be mad at you."

Well, he certainly felt stupid.

"I just don't want to…I just can't…I'm not even sure if I should be leaving at all."

After all Quinn has been through—especially the crappy pregnancy drama back in sophomore year—and the accomplishments she's achieved, she wants to back out of Yale now?

"But you can't," Joe replied, trying to step closer to her, making sure he didn't frighten her or anything like that. "Getting into Yale is one of the biggest things you've been talking about ever since I came here. You can't sacrifice Yale for us."

Quinn's lips and chin trembled. She didn't know what to think anymore. Her mind was not working with her at the moment—hell, not at _all_, actually.

"I just…I just need a moment for time to stop and—" she let out another sniffle. What the hell was on her mind right now? Only God would know right now. "I don't even _know_ anymore, okay? I just don't want to be separated from you guys."

Her boyfriend totally understood that. He cried about that feeling each night after he went to visit her and cheer her up. His pieces of the puzzle definitely matched with Quinn's.

To tell the truth, Joe didn't want her to be separated from everyone, either. If only she were a rising junior like he was so they could be together _forever_! Mercedes and Sam, too. The whole God Squad could've been in every class together, sharing ridiculous stories and homework answers and whatnot. More lunch periods together would especially be nice. Hell, even afterschool crap that goes around.

This, to Teen Jesus, definitely shows that you really _can't_ always get what you want. Mercedes and Quinn were already about a year or two older than he was, and they both have goals to achieve. Sam, he was only graduating next year, but it was going to be the same with him when he's a senior. By the time all three were gone, Joe would be left behind. Eventually, he would have to lead the God Squad with, hopefully, new members that'll fill in for the many empty chairs in that room.

No one could replace Sam, Quinn, and Mercedes, he knew that for a fact.

"I don't, either, Quinn," he finally spoke up after moments of silence and listening to her sob. "But…well, you need to accomplish your college life. You really do." For fuck's sakes, this was difficult. It's like he's killing himself for his mother and father or something; painful and depressing. "I'm really sorry. I love you with all of my heart, I do. But Yale is what you need right now."

Quinn didn't want Joe to set her free. She wanted him to hold her and never let go. Was he really doing this to her? She knows for goodness sakes that he doesn't want to do it, either. Unfortunately, it had to be done.

"You have to do this. You have to make something wonderful of yourself. I've enjoyed seeing you in my first time in public school. You're amazing…beautiful…inspiring. There's more of you that needs to be explored, though. Let's see what else you're capable of."

_Well…he is kinda right_, the blonde thought, feeling another wet tear coming from her eyes to her cheek. She still didn't like the fact that she had to leave Joe behind. They've had such a wonderful friendship and a beautiful romance together. Why does growing up have to change all of that?

Sure, the two of them will both be out of college someday, but that's too far away. Someone would have snatched Joe away from her. Or some dude at Yale would've talked her into a relationship, leaving Joe heartbroken or—

No. No, that'll never happen. Like Quinn said, she loved Joe too much. No one at Yale—or anyone at McKinley that Joe could possibly run into—can change anything in their relationship.

Her tiny, white digital clock can be seen in the corner of Quinn's left eye. Only about an hour left until she had to be on that plane to New Haven. One more hour, and she would lose these three friends for another few years. Maybe even _longer_, depending on their schedules and all.

She had to sacrifice one: either her friends and boyfriend, or the most prestigious school in Connecticut. As much as she loves Joe, Mercedes, and Sam, her education really did matter at this point, especially at the rate she's going.

Sam noticed that Quinn's head turned a little, so he shifted her around so she'd be facing Joe. Those puppy eyes locked with the girl's face. He was upset, too, but at least _he's_ not the one leaving a whole bunch of amazing people behind. This was probably the hardest thing he ever had to say and do for Quinn.

Not probably. It really was.

Teen Jesus took a couple steps towards her. The girl shook her head slowly, letting out more tears and allowing her lips and chin to tremble again.

"I'm sorry, Quinn. I really am," Joe spoke calmly, attempting to at least get a hug from the poor girl. Quinn gave up backing away, because eventually, she was going to have to face this with him sooner or later—and the fact that Sam keeps holding her down from behind.

She started crying again, and Joe had finally came to her, giving her a sweet, sincere hug. He rubbed her back as she cried in the boy's shoulder. Mercedes and Sam both offered to rub the girl's back in comfort. All the back-rubbing wasn't really helping at this point, but it was better than sinking onto the floor, hitting her ass and letting more pain flow through her body.

Joe felt like crying again, too. He couldn't, though. He had to be strong for her. He needed to support her. Sure, he was going to get upset about it later on in the day, but at least Quinn will be gone by then so she won't see him beg for her to not move an inch or anything.

As she continued sobbing, Joe closed his eyes for a brief second so he could have his little moment with God.

_Heavenly Father, I come to you in the name of Jesus…_

_Oh God, please help Quinn make it safely to New Haven. Help her see that we're all still there for her every step of the way. Help remind her that she'll be able to reunite with all of us one coming day. Please, God, she really needs this. She needs all of the love and support she can get._

_In Jesus' name I pray. Amen._

His eyes opened up, and he glanced down at the blonde. Her face was buried in his cardigan, and her blonde hair was just a little tousled but stayed perfectly on her head.

It was time. It was time to open up her cage and let her free.

"_I love you, Quinn_," he whispered to her, putting a soft kiss on her forehead and rubbing her back for seconds more.

_I'm gonna miss you, Quinn…but I know you'll be alright_.


	29. Chapter 28

Chapter Twenty-Eight

The outside air made her feel so uneasy. The sun glared down at almost every inch on the road, not much wind blew in any direction; for Christ's sakes, it's like she hasn't been outside for two weeks.

The air, and the _close to deathly_ sun, was making her stomach turn. Her legs continued to wobble once she strolled right over to her mother's car. She was too queasy at the moment to be attempting this. Hopefully, it'll be a slow car ride to the airport. Nice and slow; slow enough so she can reflect on these last few minutes—or possibly seconds—of being with three of the many friends that changed her life.

Her feet scraped against the concrete, and suddenly stopped when she was on the side of the car nearest the street.

She couldn't help but look around. She had only been here for about two years or so, but she loved this neighborhood. The lawns and sidewalks were spotless, like those upper-class neighborhoods without the giant mansions and whatever they had. It was perfect. She knew how difficult it was to find a perfect neighborhood to live in in this world. Most of the ones she's heard of were full of gun violence, rapists, polluted lawns, houses with broken glass—ugh, those run-down apartments.

Hopefully the ones near Yale were going to be better than those.

And—wait, is that—it was one of her neighbors, Belle. She was sweet, elderly woman. Every Halloween when the blonde was young, Belle would give her taffy apples and Snickers bars. The blonde, of course, loved her little house display. Now that she dedicated half of her afterschool time to the God Squad, however, the demonic decorations seemed a little—what was the word? Ungodly?

Oh well. They were fun to look at when the blonde was—God, how long was it?—six or seven.

Footsteps were heard from behind her. They greatly resembled a block of wood being rubbed against sand paper. Sam and Mercedes had already climbed in the back seat, and Judy was still in the house retrieving the rest of the luggage.

This was going to be Quinn's last chance to be this close to her boyfriend. Every other time will be limited. Special occasions such as dates and whatnot. Holidays like Valentine's Day and Christmas. She was going to hate this. He was the only one that gave her the courage to up her self esteem. She was always bringing herself down before. But with her precious Teen Jesus, she stopped all the babbling about how much her life sucked so much.

It was so easy for him, especially. He's been homeschooled before, and God and his parents taught him all the positives. Maybe the blonde could learn something from him one day at church or something. Hell, more people should be like him. In fact, more people _would_ be like him if stuff like gangs, Botox, boob jobs, rape, and teen pregnancies didn't exist.

Well, it's how God made the world. The world may not be perfect, but it's better than nothing.

Her sparkly eyes found the dreadlocked boy's. Concern swept over him as he found the girl's porcelain face. How come he wasn't crying and scared like she was? This was his own _girlfriend_ leaving him behind, left at William McKinley with dumb ass hockey players and football jocks tossing slushies at people.

She was so proud of herself. She was so proud to be heading where she's going right now. Being salutatorian of her graduating class, on the Cheerios, the God Squad, and New Directions, and being the poster girl for those other teenage girls who've been through hell like she has. She's made so many accomplishments, and now she's headed off to one of the best universities in the country.

But how could she possibly stay happy? Mercedes will be off in California somewhere; Santana will be in Louisville, Kentucky; Rachel will be in New York; Finn's heading off to the army; Puck, unknown about his future, will probably be in California like Mercedes; Mike Chang will be dancing in Chicago; and Sam, Joe, Brittany, and the other remaining New Directions members will be stuck in Lima, Ohio until they graduate. All of her friends will be separate from her.

She's more worried about Joe, though. He was so sweet to her. He'd never bring her down ever in her life. In fact, he _saved_ her life. He gave her more than Finn, Sam, and Puck combined had to offer. All she wanted was to have one boyfriend that she can't just leave in the dust. Is that too much to ask for?

And there he was, standing alone beside her, looking into her worried eyes. She couldn't resist. She sped up to him and hugged him with her tightest grip. Her head leaned on his chest, and her hands held tightly around his body, even feeling some of his loose dreads behind his back.

She felt him hug back, rubbing his hand in circles on the blonde's back. Neither one of them said anything; they just hugged, bit their lips a little, worried and prayed—the usual.

"Quinn." The blonde's mother just packed up the rest of her daughter's luggage and beckoned her to the passenger's seat in the front.

This was disappointing. She should be beside Joe, resting her head on him and holding tight of his arms. On the flipside, though, Sam and Mercedes wanted to join. They couldn't leave them, either.

Slowly, the blonde stepped into the car and sat in the passenger's seat, looking dead out the window in front of her. Her heart was pumping its way out of her chest, and the car smell was making her nauseous. She heard a door slam behind her. Good thing Joe was sitting behind her, at least. He's _somewhere_ near her.

The car's ignition was turned on, and the car slowly rode from the curb beside the Fabray house, and moved along on the street.

Everyone was awfully quiet. They were all so affected by Quinn's departure. Not even the random music or the radio reports could bring them away from the thoughts of it.

Joe looked ahead. Although the seat was in the way of the blonde's head, he could still make her blonde locks out. Her upset face was shown in the side-view mirror. The tears, although drying, were shown on her face.

_God, poor sweet Quinn Fabray…_

She had cried for at least ten minutes in his arms when they were still upstairs in her bedroom—well, her _old_ bedroom. It was almost nonstop just until Judy came up, declaring the departure to the airport.

He knew all that convincing Quinn not to cry wasn't going to help much at all. He just didn't want to see tears or hear sobs from the one pretty girl he loves. He couldn't stand it.

Joe caught himself raising his hand to the girl's face just around the head rest on the seat, caressing her cheek and wiping a little bit of the tears away. The girl's eyes watered just a bit before she brought her soft hand up to Joe's. She was glad he and the other two God Squad members were accompanying her. She would've lost her place more than ever.

While her head was resting on the blonde boy's shoulder, Mercedes' eyes glanced over at the bittersweet chemistry between Joe and Quinn. They were so adorable and kind with each other. To think in just an hour it was all going to go away.

The car sped up a little. They already past about six blocks, and were headed towards the expressway downtown.

Everything was going by so fast. Quinn couldn't tell if her mother was even speeding or not. The speed limit, from what she read on the sign, was about sixty. Yep, everything was normal. Still, mentally, everything was going by so fast. How long ago was it when she gave Joe that last hug? How long ago was it when they just got in the car? Hell, she didn't know.

Her nerves got the better of her. She felt something in her stomach. Like she was either going to pee herself, throw up, or someone was tugging out her insides from her vaginal area—ugh, that was a crazy mental image she'll never get out of her head.

Her head turned around, her eyes locked with Joe's. The tears were drying some more, but she wanted to cry again. They were only a few inches away, but imagine how much further it'll be in a couple of minutes.

Her hand inched over to him, just around the head rest, wanting Joe to bring his hand back to her. The dreadlocked boy brought his hand back and held Quinn's. She could feel his thumb rubbing slowly and softly.

"_You'll be okay. I promise_," he whispered before he brought himself up to her hand and kissed it.

On the outside, she looked at him with understanding eyes. On the inside, she thought that nothing was going to be okay. It'll be harder in college than high school, which she knew. It'll be harder to face the world, knowing that this boy will still be in Lima, carrying on with his business. It'll be as cold as going out in the snow with no coat on in the winter without Joe holding onto her.

He couldn't let him go. Every day will be like winter without a coat, hat, scarf, and gloves without this guy.

"_I…I'm scared…_"

He didn't know what she was scared of, but Joe understood the fact that he won't be as safe walking around McKinley without Quinn around. And Sam. And Mercedes.

These three guys changed his life completely. They made him feel secure walking the halls of McKinley. They guarded him when those evil hockey players would go at different people in the Glee club—well, up until their win at Nationals. That was when everyone treated New Directions with respect. But what if something terrible goes down next year? He and Sam will be the only ones from the God Squad there, and Sam was gonna graduate next year. Joe will then be alone after that.

Maybe…maybe he felt the same thing Quinn did about being scared and all.

"_I know._"

Their eyes stayed on each other, Quinn's about to water and Joe's about to close, him thinking about how much tears would flow out of his eyes once he saw her walk away. They both were sick of crying, but they were too tired to stop themselves.

* * *

In about thirty-five minutes later, they arrived at the Garfield Airport and parked the car on the second level in an indoor garage. The area seemed like something off a horror movie to Quinn. Those creepy ass people—or sometimes, demons—would come out of nowhere when the protagonist climbs into the vehicle.

The blonde hadn't been so uncomfortable in her life. She nervously looked around, frantically grabbing Joe's arm again once he climbed out of the car. He allowed her to grip onto him as much as she wanted, offering to take a suitcase from the trunk into the airport.

Judy, with a suitcase in one hand and her keys in another, watched Joe and Quinn head off to the elevator past the entrance. She bit her lip nervously.

_Oh, my sweet baby._

This brought back memories. Before Russell, she had a high school sweetheart by the name of Oliver Hennessy. He was a member of the basketball and track team, but he had so many positive qualities Joe had. Faithful to anyone, whether it was just Judy, his parents, his friends and relatives, or some stranger. He considered everyone's feelings. He had the same quirky smile on his face, even if the day was all crappy.

Judy's house had burned down at one point, and she was forced to leave to a new home. She couldn't sacrifice Oliver.

Quinn couldn't sacrifice Joe, either.

True love existed in the Fabray household and beyond. At one point, each member of the Fabray family has found true love in someone. It was that one moment where you can wake up one day, suck in all the oxygen the earth had to offer, and say that the world will turn out to be okay.

This right here, before her very eyes, was true love. So much chemistry between her own daughter and her precious Teen Jesus. So much appreciation for what the other does. So much happiness in their passing days, even if it's just a stare into each other's eyes.

This was utter, bittersweet true love.

Unfortunately, love wasn't going to always stay the same, both Judy and Quinn learned the hard way. Sometimes, it was one's own decision to have some changes—or even downfalls—in a relationship. Other times, it happens naturally.

For Quinn, specifically, it was nearly in between. She wanted to go to college. She didn't want her past to conclude what kind of person she is. She wanted to improve as opposed to her attitude. She wanted to be a woman who was a girl, and positively change the minds of other girls in society.

Not only this, but…well, she can't just stay in Lima forever. No one can just stay in one spot for the rest of their lives. They needed a life. They needed to make something of herself.

What kind of person just sits on the same, ratty old couch watching soap operas and believing their life will always be a whole bunch of shit? What kind of person stays in the same place just because whatever mediocre job they have—maybe a cashier at McDonalds or an employee in a grocery store—is enough for them? What kind of person just stays in one place because they can't ever be without the ones they love?

Hell, Quinn even thought that last one. She never wanted to leave Joe, she didn't. She wanted to keep loving him, even if the sun never came out again. But…her future mattered. If she wanted to write stories, be a journalist, or whatever she wanted, she needed to earn the degrees and get advanced education. If she wanted to teach life lessons to other teens and young adults like her, then she was going to have to get out there and speak her mind.

And if Yale was going to help her do that, then she was going to have to make that move.

Before they knew it, the five were already on the first floor, taking the luggage inside the airport and through the security areas. Quinn still held onto Joe's arm, looking around at all of the people walking around, either headed onto a plane, to the food court, or just heading out the door to their car.

God, she wished she was going with them.

"Come on, Quinn." The blonde heard his sad dreadlocked boyfriend call to her, tugging his arm and beckoning her to follow him down further to a waiting area near a terminal.

Many of the terminals they passed lead to planes that were going to different destinations. One of the planes was headed to Honolulu, Hawaii. Another to Chicago, Illinois. A third to New York City, New York. A whole lot of people were pacing around and finding the right terminal, restaurant area, bathroom, or any other place they were headed to.

Quinn's heart beat more rapidly. She felt that her mother, Sam, Mercedes, and Joe were walking too fast. Hell, everything was going so fast. Of course there's a reason for that.

They finally made it to the waiting area nearby a terminal with the plane headed to New Haven, Connecticut. They stopped, neatly set Quinn's carry-on luggage to the side, and all turn to Quinn with anxious eyes.

Quinn was being surrounded by so many amazing people. Her mother, whom actually had a heart for her after the pregnancy scandal and offered her own daughter to move back in the house.

Mercedes, whom allowed the blonde to move in with her after finding out about Puck.

Sam, whom the blonde has dated previously and hasn't pressured her one bit about their relationship.

And Joe, whom the blonde has trusted in their current relationship, and has made her feel like a better girl.

Quinn's eyes got watery again. Her heart was going to come out her chest, nearly killing her. Her own nerves were killing her. These people before her were killing her. How dare they set her off like this?

"Well, baby…" her mother managed to choke out, holding back tears in her eyes, "this is…this is goodbye. I've really believed in you. Really, I did."

The blonde girl bit her lip harder at the sight of her mother. She saw her cry before, but not as much as now. She wondered how she was going to handle the car ride home, and then sitting in that house all by herself.

"To think…" Judy let out with a sigh, "…to think it felt like just yesterday, I held you while you sat in my lap, and we watched TV together. Remember those days, baby. Keep them in your memory."

Quinn nodded. Her younger years were always going to stay with her.

"But not just the memories you have as a child," Judy added. "Keep…"

She almost choked. A tear rolled down her face down to her chin. Mercedes and Joe both noticed this, and shook a little. Quinn did as well, and it sped up just a little more.

"Keep your memories as a teenager. Remember all of the friends you've met. All the achievements you've made. Remember how much your father loves you, even though we've had a rough time a while ago."

Her daughter's eyes closed, and more tears seeped through her eyelids and down to her face. _Oh Daddy_, she thought, hopefully her father listening to her in spirit somewhere. _If you're out there thinking of me, please know that I love you so much_.

"I love you so much, sweetie." Quinn's eyes opened back and fell onto her mother. She just got out some Kleenex from her purse and dabbed it on her face, being cautious of the eyeliner on her eyes. "I am looking forward to seeing you as the woman we all want to see."

_Mom…_ Quinn sobbed a little, still looking at the woman. How was Quinn supposed to fly without the wings that have been taking her all this way? _Please don't let me go…_

Quinn really wanted to hug someone right now. At that moment, though, Sam and Mercedes made their own little speech.

"Quinn. I…my God, I can't believe it, really. When I first met you, you were that head Cheerio with the high pony, the powerful walk, and the pretty eyes. Now…well, you're still that same girl with the powerful walk and pretty eyes."

Quinn couldn't help but giggle at Sam. Everyone told her that she had pretty eyes. Pretty hair. Pretty everything. Even when she was either pregnant, just plain off the Cheerios, or with no more long locks on her head, they still told her she was the most beautiful person they've ever met.

"You've changed the many lives of many girls around you at McKinley High School. I'm pretty sure you can do that again. You'll get a wonderful job after receiving your degrees. Then you'll move on to greener pastures, hopefully holding on to every memory you have of your fellow Glee club members, as well as the Cheerios you've been cheering with and the family members in Lima, Ohio that you've always loved."

Now Mercedes was almost too nervous to say what she had to say. Her boyfriend's heartfelt speech was…goddamn it, it was beautiful.

She knew Quinn thought it was, too. The girl had a bright little smile on her face, despite the tears that still fall from her eyes. Everyone she knew that'll still be in Lima, Ohio will miss that bright, wonderful smile.

"Quinn…" The blonde girl turned her head to Sam's girlfriend. A tear just fell from her face, but she still smiled at her in assurance. "People before wouldn't expect us to be best friends like we are now."

Well, that was the time when Quinn was considered as the Hottest Bitch in Charge—before Santana won that spot after the pregnancy and cheating drama. Now after experiencing what it was like to be in Mercedes' shoes, they've become closer.

Who knew a teenage pregnancy could bring on more people?

"But…well, you've made us proud. You gave us a reason to put a smile on our face, walk down the halls of McKinley, and strive for anything we need to make it out of that dark hole."

And boy, was that dark hole trying to drag down Quinn all this time or what?

"Now more girls are coming to McKinley each day, not really giving a crap about anything someone spills at them. They're more confident. New Directions are even becoming more confident, and it's all because of you. You helped us, Quinn. We did this together."

She couldn't deny that. No one could.

"I really…" Mercedes felt a lump in her throat, but swallowed it away, getting the rest of her words out. "I really hope for the best for you, maybe even more. You deserve this, Quinn. This is your life, and it's your choice to make it however you want. But I hope you make the right choices. I know you will. You'll make all of us proud to have someone like you."

The blonde girl let out a cry, and wiped a tear away. It wasn't doing much, but it did a little. The three's speeches were so beautiful—

And there was him.

He stood there, pale and scared. He didn't cry one bit; he held it all in. He watched as his girlfriend sobbed and smiled in front of her fellow God Squad friends. She was dearly going to miss them, but not as much as she was going to miss Joe.

Well, she'll miss all of them equally. Still the same thing.

Quinn, Sam, Mercedes, and Judy's head all turned in unison at the dreadlocked boy. He didn't speak up or anything. He knew he had to, though, being that he was the last of the four. God, this was nerve-wracking, but it had to be done.

More tears and cries came out of Quinn. There were only twenty minutes until the plane was about to take flight. People still waited in line to get on the plane. This was Joe's last chance.

"Quinn…not just one word can express how much I love you." Joe's voice was a little shaky. He folded his hands in front of his body. "I pray to God every day that when I get to see you, you're smiling, having a good time, and making a difference in the people around you."

His girlfriend's head burned, and the lump in her throat was too big to swallow. This was too much for Quinn to handle. All she wanted at the moment was a hug. She wanted to hug everyone and never let go.

"You've…" Joe got nervous again—and not the _banana in your pocket_ nervous—the _oh my God, the one I love is leaving_ nervous. Still, she looked as pretty as the day Joe first met her. "You've changed me…a lot. At first, I…I was just some random sophomore student, finding my place in general public school."

Quinn couldn't lie; the first moment she spotted that random boy in the hall with the dreadlock mane—never even noticing his face—she kinda had the assumption that she was some awkward guy who was into hippie stuff. Well, _Brittany_ and _Santana_ thought that.

There was so much to know and learn about Joe. He's very charming and considerate. He was very religious and faithful. He was very cautious and alert. Something that Quinn didn't really see in the other boys at McKinley High School.

"You, Mercedes, and Sam helped me follow through," he continued. "I got to experience many things that homeschooling didn't offer. I got to join the God Squad and the Glee club. I was able to make my own decisions from real-life experiences. I even…" He almost choked on the lump in his throat. "I even got to experience what it feels like to passionately love someone."

Joe could just feel her now. Her hands sweeping on his neck under his dreadlocks. Sometimes her fingers would dance on the length of his hair, feeling the texture of the features. Both of their eyes closed. Joe's hands steady on Quinn's back, eventually falling to her hips. Her arms resting over his. The fruit-flavored gloss she would always put on. Hell, his mother would probably kill him if she found out that her son was sucking away artificial flavor in some manufactured makeup product or whatever.

"I thought my first kiss would be on my wedding day. When it's the right time to give in to that one special girl. I wouldn't be able to experience all of this before. You…you've basically helped me see the light in that."

Quinn beamed. She couldn't be prouder than she was at that moment to know that she helped the sheltered Joe Hart come out of his shell.

"Now I'm more confident than ever when I say that…that…" A smirk grew on his face, his head shaking slightly. "I really love you. I just want you. I want you to remember everyone and everything that you have. I want you to achieve so much once you start your life at Yale. I want you to have that same smile on your face each day, and feel like the world's gonna be alright."

The poor girl couldn't contain herself on the inside. Those were pretty beautiful words, if she could say so herself. If only the world really _was_ going to be alright. Joe, her family, and her other friends were going to be separate from her. School's going to get harder than the last time. Everything was going to be hard.

Joe still had that same smirk on his face, which almost grew wider at the sight of the poor blonde. His hand fumbled with something in his pocket.

The box. He suddenly remembered the box with Quinn's going-away present inside.

He took it out of his cardigan pocket and handed it to Quinn. It wasn't that big, but it was close to it.

"I made that with my mom," he spoke up as soon as the blonde opened the box. A wooden cross was inside, with Quinn's name carved vertically on it. There were some sparkly blue and pink peace signs on them, like the ones they've used in the scrapbook they made a while ago before prom. "Maybe on days when you go to church or something, it'll be like I'm actually there praying with you."

This was beautiful. This was just too beautiful. But Quinn didn't want to just have a cross in her hands when she attended church; she wanted Joe with her. She almost wanted him to come with her, but knowing his parents, they wouldn't send him that far to go to church.

Still, she couldn't stand the fact that he was still going to be here…without her. She can't stand it, nor she won't believe it.

Her wet, hazel eyes glanced up at Joe. Poor thing was so weak; she couldn't even say anything. She just ran towards him and fell into his arms, crying on his shoulder and still gripping onto the box. Joe brought his hands to Quinn's back, feeling her heavy breaths and heart beat, and trying to at least comfort her as best as he could.

It was hard on him, too, though. He couldn't see how he could comfort his own girlfriend when he's not feeling comfortable himself.

His hands still gripped onto her back and shoulders as he looked into her wet eyes and bit his lip at the melancholy girl. "_I love you so much, Quinn_," he replied, and Quinn allowed him to passionately kiss her on the lips.

They share another hug, Joe still rubbing Quinn's back, and Quinn still sobbing in his shoulders. She can smell his scent on that forest green cardigan of his.

Judy looked up at the terminal. The line was shorter. The line moved up just a little faster. As much as she hated doing this, she had to let Quinn go.

The girl's mother tapped Joe on the shoulder, looking at him with a wet, teary-eyed facial expression. "Joe…sweetie, it's time for Quinn to go." She really didn't want to say it, especially since it would bring Joe down. But it had to be done. She had to go on her way.

The dreadlocked boy nodded understandably, looking down at the blonde and giving off a sigh. He shifted his hands from her back to her arms, pushing her back slightly and backing up just an inch. Unfortunately, the girl wouldn't let go. Her heart raced and her cries got a little louder.

"No! Please, Joe, don't let me go! Please—"

"Quinn, you have to." Joe's voice was shaky listening to Quinn's.

"I can't do this without you, I can't!"

Joe brought his hand up to Quinn's hair, pushing it back behind her ear. "Shh, shh, it's okay. I promise you, Quinn, it's going to be okay." He attempted calming her down again, but it was only making it worse.

"Listen to me. Listen, okay?" The girl was quiet and in the midst of Joe's sultry voice. "You have those scrapbooks, right?" Quinn nodded. "You can still see me, remember that. Those scrapbooks are so you won't miss seeing me and your friends. Everything that we all have been through with you. Remember that you're not without me, Quinn. I'm still here beside you."

Quinn sobbed and sniffled, her head falling to her and Joe's feet, her hands still glued to Joe's arms. Hopefully, she wasn't going to fall on her back if Joe _did_ let her go.

Or would she?

Joe's hands slid down the length of her arms, finally reaching to her hands. Quinn cried even more. God, he was actually doing this. After praying that she'd have him forever, it finally came to the conclusion that she had to leave him behind here…and she, heading out…out there.

At a split second, his hands dropped Quinn's. He stood there, watching as the girl brought her hands up to her mouth, eyeing the dreadlocked boy and bringing more tears out of her eyes. He couldn't see her like this. He didn't want to see her like this.

Judy took a few steps towards the blonde, grabbing her and turning her to her carry-on luggage, taking the bag and putting it over her shoulder. "_I'm so sorry, sweetie pie_," she whispered to her daughter.

She took the handles of Quinn's carry-on bags and helped her take them towards the terminal entrance. The girl walked extremely slow. More tears poured from her face. The two took a stop, and Judy handed her the carry-on bags, whispering something in her ear, which Quinn responds with a nod.

A few steps away, Joe bites his lip as hard as he could. This is almost how he imagined it, except there were less tears on Quinn's face than now. His stomach dropped, and the lump in his stomach grew bigger. He balled up his hands that sat on either side of his body. He was fighting his urge to cry. Jesus, it was so hard.

Mercedes, standing next to Sam, had tears falling from her face as well. She turned her head to Joe. She worried for him. He was really trying hard not to cry. No one can fight away their tears. She didn't know how Joe could do it, especially when his girlfriend was seconds away from boarding the plane.

The three God Squad members watched Judy take a few steps back to them. Quinn walked a little further—slowly, but further—to the terminal, where the line had shortened again. She already showed the man waiting the ticket in her hand, and he allowed her to walk in.

Quinn turned her head back. Joe was so far away. Is this what people in the deserts are like when they think they've found an oasis or something? It sure did seem that way.

She just wanted to run back and give him another hug and kiss. She couldn't though. The plane would be leaving soon. And if she boarded the plane already, she won't be able to get out because no one's allowed back on the plane once they've left. She'd be stuck inside.

She bit her lip harder as her eyes stayed on Joe's. She knew Joe couldn't see her, but she mouthed to him, "_Goodbye_." And with that, she took her carry-on luggage inside and onto the plane.

Joe panicked on the inside. His heart and breath was uncontrollable. He got nervous again. He caught himself jerking forward and running towards the terminal to call to Quinn before she made it on the plane. Unfortunately, Sam and Judy held him down.

Mercedes didn't move an inch. She watched the sight in front of her, covering her mouth with her right hand. God, she was going to have a serious head burn once she got back home.

"_Baby, I'm sorry. She's gone now. I'm sorry_," she heard Judy whisper to Teen Jesus, rubbing his shoulders and nearly hugging him.

Sam's hand fell to Joe's shoulder, gripping onto it. He stared at Joe. The boy still looked forward at the terminal entrance where Quinn had gone through. He felt bad for him. Sam understood that he was going to feel the same way once Mercedes leaves tomorrow.

Joe really thought he was going to be able to fight through this whole thing. He realized now that he can't. Quinn just left onto that plane. He just let her go, just like that. He'll end up having the worst summer nights of his life.

_God…will you please take care of her? It's all I'm asking for. Just take care of her, and keep me from crying. That's all I ask. Please, help me, God. That's all I ask. Please._

* * *

The blonde, still walking slowly, finally found a seat on the plane, with no one sitting beside her so they won't see her cry. She placed both of her carry-on bags in the empty seat closest to the aisle, and put one of them in the overhead bin.

She came across one of the scrapbook in the second bag and took it out. She zipped the second bag shut and put in the overhead bin, and sat in the window seat with the book in her hands.

She caught herself turning to the end. There were pictures of her, Mercedes, Sam, and Joe at the Valentine's Day party at Breadstix. They had a good old time. Joe looked so quirky and uncomfortable dancing. It was adorable, though.

Joe. Quinn was definitely going to miss him. Each night would be even worse now that she'll be headed to another state in just a few seconds.

She looked at the next picture. The photo booth at the carnival. He passionately kissed her…twice: once in the photo booth, and the second time by that area where he found the colorful flowers and stuff. Those were some magical—

What's the use? She couldn't control herself anymore.

She leaned against the window, covered her face with her hands, and started crying again.

* * *

"Oh, hey Judy."

Mrs. Hart was greeted by Judy and Joe. The woman's tears had been wiped away earlier when she, Joe, Mercedes, and Sam had been crying in the car for a decent while.

Next to her, Joe stared at the ground with his hands in his pocket. He felt so sad and lonely. He had no idea in hell what he was going to do.

"Hey, Maria," Judy responded with a sigh. She turned to Joe, washing him with every bit of sympathy she could. "We, um…we just dropped Quinn off at the airport."

Mrs. Hart looked over at her son. He didn't look so good. "Is he alright?"

The only thing Judy could think of right now was Joe trying to run over to Quinn, but then she and Sam held him down. She didn't want to do it, but it had to be done. "I…I really hope he is. I think we should talk later on."

Whatever was going on, she hoped the same thing. She watched as Joe walked into the house and into the living room.

"Well…okay, I'll see you later then."

"It would be a pleasure."

Judy turned around and walked back to her car, with Maria closing the front door slowly. Poor woman needed a shoulder to lean on. When she first heard Quinn's name come out of her mouth, she obviously knew that her daughter was on her mind.

She never thought about it before, but she was going to miss Quinn, too. She was really sweet to her son. She introduced him around McKinley High School, and made him feel comfortable about public school. She helped him with his "feelings" issues, and eventually made him her boyfriend.

Joe got everything he ever wanted, and now it seems like it was being taken away from him. Mrs. Hart couldn't bear to see her own son like this.

Joe was standing next to the coffee table, staring at the wooden cross that sat there near the edge. He got down to his knees, folded his hands on the coffee table, and started praying again.

His mother took steps closer to him, getting a good look at his face. "Joseph." He didn't respond. "Honey, what's wrong?"

He still didn't say anything. Instead, he shut his eyes and started crying, his hands still folded in front of him. He knew God was watching him right now. If he still was, Joe hoped that he was still taking care of his girlfriend and making sure she made it to New Haven okay.

"Oh, my God," his mother said, kneeling down to him and bringing her hands up to his shoulders. "Baby, look at me. Look at me."

Joe slowly turned to his mother. She was so worried for him. "I'm sorry, Joe. You have to let her go. I know this is hard for you—"

Her son's head fell, still crying and the tears falling down his cheeks to his cardigan. Mrs. Hart, shaking her head, brought him closer to her and allowed him to cry on her shoulder.

"_I know, sweetie_," she whispered to her son, placing a kiss on his forehead. "_I'm so sorry, Joe. I'm so sorry_."

Teen Jesus grabbed onto his mother, his eyes still shut with tears coming out, and still praying for Quinn. It's all he could do at that point. He just prayed and cried. Prayed and cried. He ended up doing that all day. That's all he could do.

_Quinn…please, Quinn. Don't forget me._


	30. Chapter 29

Chapter Twenty-Nine

_Okay, now what the hell do I do?_

It's the only thing Quinn thought just when she grabbed all of her things and made it out of the airport. She hadn't been so lost in her life. She figured she'd be like one of those people who ends up in a location, and your driver is there holding your name on a poster board or something, beckoning you over and taking you to your location.

Quinn didn't have that. She was all by herself. Now she had to make her way to Yale.

She reached into her purse and found the envelope with forty dollars inside. She remembered her mother telling her that she would need this money for transportation – at least until she gets a job and buys her own car.

She looked around. There were many taxi cabs parked out right in front of her. One of them was bound to take her to the right place.

She took all of her luggage and found an empty one. The man inside allowed her to place her stuff inside the trunk with his assistance. After everything was loaded in there, she sat in the back seat, handing him a five dollar bill.

"Where to, ma'am?" the nice driver called to her from the driver's seat.

"Yale University," Quinn said with not that much enthusiasm. "I'm headed to the dorm area down there. I'm a student."

The girl didn't have much of an idea why she wasn't getting excited now. She understood wholeheartedly that she basically cried her eyes out during almost the whole trip to the airport in Lima, and then on the plane ride for a while before going to sleep. But now her face was dry and her bags were packed and ready for the dorms. Quinn should be smiling now.

This whole _moving to Connecticut_ thing was very overwhelming for her. Maybe when she puts her stuff up, meets her roommate, and goes sight-seeing for a while, she can cool down easier.

The driver nodded to her last statement. "Yale student, huh?"

The blonde sadly nodded, looking down at her fingers in her lap. At that moment, she realized how long it's been since she's gotten a manicure at that salon she, Santana, and Brittany would go to.

"You a freshman, sweetheart?"

"Yeah, pretty much."

At least the driver had much enthusiasm and interest. "Wish you the best of luck."

The blonde lifted her head up for a second and shot the man a bright smile. "Thank you," she said, before sinking her head again.

The university dorms were pretty distant, yet kind of close to the airport. It took at least forty-five minutes for the cab to make it all the way to Yale. The area was really fancy, Quinn will admit. She saw many places for recreation and dining. It was simply elegant.

She turned to her left. Some people in pretty nice clothes were about to cross the street in front of them. One of the women had a floral skinny skirt and a white tank. Quinn wondered where she could get one of those in town. Or at least a floral frilly skirt with the waistband on it. Either one would be a cute outfit for the spring or something.

Quinn turned to the right. There was a huge park in the center. A water fountain as big as the whole choir room back in McKinley – well, not that big, but close to it – sat in the center, with four walkways and a few benches. Elders, people with children, young couples – people of any kind would go over there to sit and feel calm and comfy under the warm sun.

The cab jerked forward, went straight for a little while, and then turned to the right. While the driver continued on with the drive, Quinn looked out the window on her left. All she saw at first was apartment buildings and lots of grass in a perfect shade of green. It looked so beautiful, so rich, so…so…man, there were many words to describe it.

The cab drove through an automatic gate around on this circular pathway around a fountain that sat in the center. Flower bushes, with pink and white flowers growing on them, surrounded it to make a perfect touch for the centerpiece. My gosh, this campus was big – and pretty, too. Quinn could even see some Yale students, relatively in their sophomore or junior year, sitting under a tree and reading some books. This was how college life should be for everybody.

It had been months ago since Quinn received her acceptance letter into Yale University. Back then, she was ecstatic to finally achieve something else in her life. Now, despite the tears she had to suffer through an hour before, she was ready to head on down there and get started already.

But it was still summer, though. Maybe stick to sight-seeing and relaxing for a while.

"Ma'am, you're here," the driver called to her, opening his door and helping Quinn out. She just loved how the man was so generous of her. He even offered to take some of Quinn's luggage out of the trunk. It would have to take all the searching in the world to find someone as nice as he.

All of the luggage was out of the cab, and the driver waved to Quinn goodbye as he drove out of the entrance area.

"Excuse me, ma'am!"

Quinn, just about to pick up her stuff and head on somewhere, met up with a brunette woman with a polo T-Shirt that had the words _Yale University_ on the upper left of her shirt in small letters. She held onto a clipboard in her hands, ready to write something on a sheet of paper.

"I am a staff member for the Yale University campus," she greeted Quinn with a slight smile. "My name is Kate. May I please have your name and your grade so I can give you your dorm number?"

The blonde wasn't even sure if she could speak that clearly. She had been sobbing during most of the plane ride, and she felt something in her throat. Were the nerves coming back or something, or was it just her? The lady still stood there, waiting on some information. She can't keep her waiting.

But Quinn still couldn't believe how her voice wasn't cooperating with her. "Q – Quinn. Quinn Fabray. I – I'm a…a freshman."

Kate looked down on the sheet of paper on her clipboard. It took a while, but she reached to the area with the surnames starting with F.

"Okay, Quinn. You'll be in Davenport College, in Building B. I'll show you were that is as we take your suitcases. Your room number is 227, and you'll be sharing a room with another roommate," Kate informed, helping the blonde with two of her bags. Quinn took two of her suitcases and one carry-on bag, and followed Kate through another gate.

As they walked, Quinn took a closer look of the campus. It looked beautiful. She just couldn't get over it. The trees were healthy and full of leaves, the grass was fully green and extravagant, the students wandering the place were so educated and disciplined – everything about this place was wonderful. Quinn couldn't imagine herself in a better place than Yale.

Well, she almost couldn't.

Lima, Ohio was her home. Judy was probably still at the house, crying away all of her tears and spending the rest of her days alone. If only Russell hadn't been with that tattooed freak. Then he and Judy could spend the rest of their lives together. Who knows? They could have another kid while Quinn was gone.

Well, not necessarily another kid, but have something together that's unforgettable and makes their marriage very special.

The walk wasn't that far; they actually made it to Davenport College quite quickly. The lawn looked as the same as the last one they left from, but the sun shone brightly over it, giving off that beautiful glow. Quinn could hear the angels inside the building and all around the outside landscape shout, "_Come to us, Quinn. Come stay with us._"

Quinn turned to her right for just a second. Some boys in Yale University hoodies turned in her direction and shot winks and – to Quinn – conniving smiles. She hadn't felt so nervous and awkward in her life. She just smirked at them, not even holding up her fingers to wave, and turned her head back forward. Kate was a couple of steps ahead of her.

They were headed towards a Georgian-style building with a gothic façade. The sign above the door said _Davenport College_, carved in some tan brick.

"Okay, we're here," the brunette said pleasantly, opening the glass doors for the blonde carrying the rest of her bags. By the time Quinn made it in, they both went towards the front desk to their left to check in.

"Carla," Kate spoke to a redheaded, somewhat thick woman, her fingers sweeping over the keys on her computer keyboard. This so-called Carla woman looked up. Her cheeks were rosy, her eyes were greenish-blue, and her smile at the nervous blonde was quite welcoming.

"This is Quinn Fabray," Kate told the redhead. "She's an incoming freshman here at Yale University."

The woman behind the desk waved at Quinn. Her tone was quite pleasing. "Quinn Fabray, nice to meet you."

The blonde shyly waved her fingers in the air. "Hi."

Carla came from behind the desk and offered to take one of Quinn's suitcases. "What room is she headed to, Kate?"

"Two twenty-seven."

Quinn liked the staff members so far. They were pretty nice – and so freakin' young. Kate didn't even look to be any more than about twenty-one or twenty-two. And Carla seemed to be around twenty-nine years old. She expected the staff at Yale to be, like, forty or fifty.

Well, Quinn would much prefer young staff members anyway. They're close to her age, and probably still have sort of an idea on how things work around here and what classes are the most difficult. Maybe they could help Quinn sometime – if her mystery roommate was unavailable.

The three made it to the elevator with Quinn's luggage. It was pretty big on the inside. About eight or more people could fit in here if Quinn's suitcases weren't taking up so much space.

While on the elevator, Kate told Quinn which direction to go to find her dorm room. "Okay, when you get off here, you turn right and go all the way to the end."

"All the way?"

Walking back and forth from her room to the elevator was another thing she had to worry about, unfortunately. Hey, at least she'll get her exercise.

"Yeah, I know. On days you could be late for a class, it'll get frustrating, believe me," Carla spoke up. "One time, I was at the end of the hall on the fifth floor, I believe, and I was late for my first class. Once I made it to the elevator, I forgot my textbook."

Quinn knew for certain that _that_ won't be happening to her anytime soon.

The elevator had stopped, and the door slid open. The three took Quinn's luggage to a brown door all the way at the end of the hallway. A window was on the wall, blowing the warm, summer breeze through on the inside. It brushed over Quinn Fabray's little cheeks and through her golden – the same little breeze that gotten rid of the tears on her wet face once she departed from the airport.

Kate knocked on the door. She assumed that Quinn's new roommate was inside, preparing the rest of her belongings for whoever would come and try to race for the best room contest, Carla mentioned on the walk down there.

The only thing Quinn thought at this moment was what her roommate was going to be like. She really hoped it wasn't those tough girls, the ones that looked to be doing work-outs for their triceps, biceps, or any other body part just like a male would do – looks like someone's been watching a lot of movies with prison scenes.

Or maybe it could be someone that used to be like her in high school; the pretty ones, the popular ones, the bitchy ones. Ones that, if they were a lovechild of somebody, taken a couple of Santana's bitch genes. It felt so relieving to get that steam heat from her ears and those balled-up fingers loose, because it would be a pain in the ass for Quinn to have to be a bitch around people like Rachel Berry and Kurt Hummel.

For all Quinn knew, this new roommate of hers could be a brainiac; always keeping their noses in a book, not even looking up for one second to see what show was airing on TV or if anyone knocked at their door because they wanted to invite them to a college house party. The boredom would get to her every time she'd head on down here after working in school for so long. She may not even be able to play her music loudly like she used to do in freshman and sophomore year of high school.

In a way, though, a combination of the overachievers, the popular kids, and the work-out machines would be kind of a perfect mix. This school is very disciplined and fit; why shouldn't one be at the gym at one time or another, or reading up on their Physics and Geometry once in a while? Why shouldn't one get wild at some point?

A roommate with all three qualities could be a good mix. As much as she loved having fun, she still needed someone with the knowledge to at least help her.

Suddenly, the door blew open. A fresh, young brunette with her hair in a ponytail was greeted at the door. Her face was just as pale as Quinn's, and her green eyes hid behind her thin glasses. She had the cutest green beret Quinn had ever seen. The crochet accessory had glitter spread all over the top. It matched the green blouse she wore under her corduroy sweater with the puppies embroidered on her pockets.

And the girl's hair – goodness, the girl's hair – it shone in the fluorescent lighting in the dorm room, even with the beret on her head. Not just that, but it smelled like strawberry kiwi. Did she just wash her hair moments before, or did she use some type of – Quinn couldn't get over the smell.

The brunette girl was so polished, so quirky, so…so – wow; to think Quinn had the assumption that she might have problems with her new dorm mate.

"Bethany Everett," Carla spoke to the girl with the breathtaking aroma in her chestnut locks, "this is your new roommate, Quinn Fabray."

The brunette, identified as Bethany, extended her hand out at the blonde. "Nice to meet you," the so-alive freshman spoke with the most welcoming voice. A green, silver, and corduroy bracelet clung onto her right wrist. They were so cute. Even her nails were neatly done. Quinn was amazed by this.

Quinn extended her left arm and shook the girl's soft hands. _Does she use Johnson and Johnson, too?_ There was much to know about this girl.

"Nice to meet you, too," the blonde responded, flattered by the girl's welcome and essence.

She was nicer than Quinn ever expected. Kinda hard to believe that she would run into someone like this at Yale. She was different than anyone she's ever encountered, though resembled a couple of people in various aspects; she was young like Brittany, fresh like Rachel, and had a keen sense of fashion like Santana and Mercedes – well, almost.

Kate and Carla, both checking their schedules on their clipboards, made their way around Quinn's luggage and headed down the hall.

"Oh Quinn," Carla called, "if you need any assistance, either page me on one of the phones inside, or just come down to the lobby. Any guests you have, I'll call you, 'kay?"

The blonde was pretty positive that she could have guests. Maybe someone from New Directions would have the time to see her on the weekends, or even Santana, Kurt, or Rachel or someone like that.

"Thanks!" she called to the redhead before she made it onto the elevator.

She faced Bethany again. Still nothing she ever imagined in her life. Maybe she _was_ going to like this _sharing a dorm with somebody_ thing. The brunette even offered to take some of Quinn's stuff inside for her.

"You know, I had this funny thought that I'd be sharing a dorm alone," Bethany spoke up, wheeling one of the suitcases inside without difficulty. "I didn't want to be alone, really. I went to this program over the summer in my junior year, and I was all by myself."

The girl stopped Quinn's suitcase behind the couch that sat in the center of the room, thinking critically about what she just discussed. "Well, I would rather be alone there anyways," she added. "Don't get me wrong; that program was fun and all, but those people there are not happy campers."

Her quirkiness made Quinn chuckle on the inside. And she had so much energy. That was definitely what she needed for when she has to take this ride on the Yale University express.

Quinn looked away from the girl and observed the room. She pretty much kept it neat all this time. The two couches were facing each other behind Bethany, and a TV was on their left, facing the other wall. It was small, but at least it was still comforting.

The kitchen was a little bit bigger. It had an island in the middle, with updated appliances. Thank goodness for the washer, because Quinn hated having puny fingers every time she washed the dishes.

"Oh, and you can choose your own bed if you like," the brunette freshman called from the couches. She had just turned the TV on to watch something called _The Real World_ on MTV. "Just in case I knew that I was going to have a roommate in the first place, I didn't move my stuff in yet."

Quinn turned by the TV. Three navy suitcases and two navy carry-on bags were sitting neatly in the corner.

_And she thought she was going to share a dorm room alone_, the blonde thought. She loved having Bethany as company. She got to pick her own free bed.

Sometime back in March, Santana had told her something about choosing a side of the room and how she should choose very wisely. There was no telling which side was near the coldest side of the room in the night time, or which side creeped with bugs on the floor – or, in her words, perverts outside the window. She mostly indicated the ones that could be in another building across from hers. The memory of what happened during summer vacation haunted Santana for life.

Although Quinn didn't really care which room she got, she took Santana's words into consideration. She entered the door to her right and observed her surroundings. There were two beds, both a little big and separated by a window and a night stand. One sat all the way in the corner at the end where another window sat at the far wall, and the other sat closest to the door against the wall. Another night stand was next to it.

Quinn thought both areas seemed nice, but she'd rather take the bed closer to the door. That way, she won't disturb her wonderfully-considerate roommate at night.

She headed out to grab her stuff and take it inside. Bethany, looking up from the television, followed her in the room.

"You made a choice?" she asked.

"Pretty much," Quinn replied, placing her stuff by the closest bed. To start off on making her area feel like home, she opened one of the suitcases and placed her white alarm clock on the night stand.

Bethany sat beside her, offering to help her with her stuff. "I knew you'd choose this bed," she replied to the girl unpacking some of her stuff. "I wanted to sleep over here, too, but I'd much rather be by the window so I can see the night sky. If only the city didn't have so many lights on so we can see the stars."

"Everyone pretty much loves to waste electricity."

"I know," Bethany agreed, her eyes bugging out her head and feeling some sort of frustration. "I had done this project in eighth grade about electricity and light bulbs. I can't believe that many people don't turn their lights off when they're not using them. They wouldn't have to spend so much in the stores – not to mention their light bills."

Quinn gave off a slight smile, and reached for a thick box in her suitcase. Whoever knew this girl was so interested in…in…energy and economical problems. She wondered what else the girl was going to say about something related to Science. Hopefully, she can help her pass her test or something.

Bethany inhaled a little, glaring at the blonde girl. She wished she didn't talk too much sometimes; she could see how it irritated people. "I'm sorry. Am I talking too much or something? When I get frustrated or excited about something, I'll start to rant or exclaim about it a lot, so –"

"Oh, no. You – you don't have to be sorry. It's good to have a conversation with somebody who's…energetic and excited about important or happy things like that."

Bethany's eyes furrowed. "What, you don't have happy conversations with people?"

Quinn had opened the thick box she found in the suitcase and opened it. Three small picture frames sat inside. She picked out a random one – the one with the red heart at the top – and took a look at it. She sighed, and her happy and satisfied facial expression turned into a blank one, eventually into a sad one.

"I do," she replied to her roommate. "I just haven't had happy ones _lately_."

Her fingers gripped onto the width, the girl trying to hold back tears and not let out sad thoughts. He was so adorable in this picture; Quinn couldn't get over it. She'd make copies of that same picture over and over. One of them hung on the bulletin that used to hang in her room. One was in the picture frame she was holding. One was in one of the scrapbooks she brought with her. Hell, one of them – shrunk to a small size – was on one of her key chains.

_I wonder if he's still thinking of me_, the blonde thought as her eyes gazed at the boy's quirky little smile. How could he _not_ be thinking about her? He always was, and she would always think about him. They're the only ones that would come up in each other's dinner conversations. Some random guy from New Directions would ask the boy about what he and Quinn would do, and how he feels about her. Same thing with the girls to Quinn.

When a member from New Directions like Rachel, Blaine, or even Finn sang a soothing ballad or a bittersweet duet, and Quinn would always turn towards the boy. He would look back, that same smirk growing on the corner of his mouth and those hazel eyes glued to hers. They had kept their little romance on the down low back then, though. No one from New Directions even knew that they were dating back then – that, and the fact that they were kept on a limit.

The windows in the room weren't even open – it was probably the thermostat that was kept at seventy-two degrees – but Quinn felt so cold. A sweater or a robe wouldn't cut it.

She felt warmer and safer being in the arms of that boy would would always put a smile on her face. She would nuzzle into his neck sometimes, her head resting on his shoulders. That luscious scent would go into her nose, making her eyes flutter shut. Every cardigan he put on, it would feel like the softest blanket comforter in the world – unlike these ones the Davenport College staff provided for them.

Bethany caught her gazing at the picture in the little pink frame, and looked on with her. The first thing she saw was a young boy, waving into the camera and a smile on his face. His right hand was slipped under Quinn's left arm, hooking to the girl's waist. His eyes seemed to shine in the flash, and his dreadlocks were tied into a ponytail.

"Cutie," she replied. "What's his name?"

Quinn suddenly got bashful again, just like she would when the New Directions girls would gossip about her and the dreadlocked boy. "His name's Joe."

Bethany knew that look anywhere. The blonde's cheeks got rosy, a smile grew on her face, and when she talked, it'll sound shy-like. "Oh, you've got a crush on him, right?"

"He's my boyfriend, actually."

Bethany grinned as she glared down at the picture again. She could definitely see it from what Quinn was telling her. If she stepped in Quinn's shoes, she'd definitely have that guy to be her boyfriend.

"He looks so young and…wow, attractive. Never seen anything like this."

Quinn suddenly looked up at her. She was still smiling at the picture. Although she was flattered, something clicked into her mind. Here she was, a brunette freshman in college with a look no one can simply deny. Did she even _have_ a high school sweetheart like she did? A part of her told her she did, but a part of her thought otherwise.

"Do you have a boyfriend?"

The girl looked up suddenly and shook her head. "Oh, no. I never had one."

_As kind and pretty as she is, she doesn't have a boyfriend_, Quinn thought. "Why not? Did you ask anyone?"

"I did. I even tried before high school. People always thought I was weird and stuff, and that I was too involved and overly excited. I joined about fifteen clubs in high school, and I volunteered to be the mascot for about three years. I was so eager about pumping up the school at homecoming, and people would sometimes laugh at me. I was on the goofy side anyway. And no one's really that excited when it came to school anyway, so…"

Well doesn't that sound like a college version of Rachel Berry or what? Well, she had a boyfriend, though. And she has a killer voice – it was unknown if Bethany could sing or not.

Her eyes fell on the picture again. She didn't want to be sad or lonely without Joe. She was glad she got to meet Bethany and stay in this dorm. However, it will be about another four years until she got to see her Teen Jesus again – excluding the visits down to Lima on several occasions.

"Well," the blonde sighed, "at least you don't have to worry about…feeling homesick every day." She took the frame and placed it gently on her night stand in front of the lamp. She still stared at it for a moment, and then looked down at her lap. Her right hand squeezed her left. That was almost how Joe would squeeze her hand when she cried.

She wasn't crying yet, nor wanted it to happen at this point, but she felt it coming on to her.

Bethany's hand made it behind Quinn's back to her left shoulder, rubbing it softly. "Don't worry, Quinn," she said sympathetically. "It's still summer. We can call and visit Joe any time you like for as long as you want. And I'm pretty sure he'll call and send letters to you."

That was so sweet of her. But only thinking about Joe right now made Quinn even more homesick. She just wanted to lock herself in the bathroom, lean against the wall in the shower as the water fell on her, and cry her eyes out. She had no other tactic on how to fight through this thing.

"Thank you," Quinn replied, still looking down. She sat there for a moment and then got up off the bed. "I think I'll get the rest of my stuff."

The blonde walked slowly out the door and into the other room where the rest of her luggage sat. Bethany watched her, feeling worried. She's come in contact with homesick people before. She didn't want Quinn to feel that way that much. Yale University was her new home until she got a degree in any field she wanted, and she just might have a little fun around here.

On the flipside, though, it was only her first day here. She did have the right to be homesick for a while.

She turned to Quinn's photo in the frame again. They did look cute together, cuter than she had ever thought. It would be a shame for Quinn to be apart from that guy. He would always make her smile. Now he was off somewhere – God knows where – and Quinn's stuck here for four years.

Still feeling the least bit of sympathy for her new friend, the brunette headed off into the other room to help her with her luggage.

* * *

It was night time, approximately around ten thirty. Everyone in the dorms were asleep – all except for Quinn.

She wanted to go to sleep, though. She really did. She had just unpacked her luggage and some other stuff that was sent here from her home in Lima, Ohio. Then she had gone out with Bethany, and met a couple of other freshmen in a coffee shop. Then she went to the university's souvenir shop to get her a sweater and some other Yale University merchandise.

The day wasn't that busy, but they did walk around a lot. The sun was cooking them, and they needed out of it.

Quinn just wouldn't go to sleep, though. She would keep her eyes open, staring at the wall. She had hung her bulletin there. It had a few papers and some pictures on it. She figured if she stared at it long enough, she could drift off. Unfortunately, it wasn't helping.

Then she turned to the middle frame that sat on her night stand. The picture of her and Joe at the Valentine's Day party was there. That same, adorable smile was there.

Quinn kept looking at that same picture every time she would stay in that room. She was missing Joe, and it was hurting her. She really wanted to go to sleep, but she couldn't. She wanted to move the picture away and focus on something else to get her sleep, but she couldn't.

She was growing to be weak again. She thought about Joe and his parents. She thought about Judy, Frannie, and Russell. She thought about Santana and Brittany. She thought about Sam and Mercedes.

She was getting homesick.

The more she stared into that picture in the pink frame, the more water that would come in her eyes. A tear finally fell from her right eye and down her cheek. More and more tears came after that, soaking the girl's face and reaching to Quinn's pillow case. The blonde shut her eyes, trying to go to sleep. It just made her cry even more. Slight sobs came out of her mouth, and when she opened her eyes, the tears blurred her vision.

_Come on_, she thought to herself. _Please go to sleep. I beg of you._ It was no use. She continued to cry, clutching the pillow and the stuffed rabbit in her hands.

"_Quinn?_"

The brunette heard her cry all the way from the other side of the room. She knew something was wrong, so she climbed out of bed and walked over to Quinn's. She watched as the tears took over her face, and her eyes were slightly red. Her chin trembled furiously, and the lump in her throat continued to grow like it was going to suffocate her.

Bethany placed her left hand on Quinn's back and watched her cry. "Quinn? What's wrong?" she asked. The blonde turned her head just a little. She noticed that Bethany didn't have her glasses on this time. She assumed that they were only reading glasses.

Quinn was embarrassed. This was the first day she got here, and the first day she's cried in front of her roommate. She wanted to stop and remind her that everything was fine, but it wasn't working.

The brunette pulled her up to seating position and put a hand on her shoulder. Quinn was a mess. Her hair was a little tousled and her face was wet. "Are you getting homesick again?"

The blonde nodded slowly, trying hard not to make her head hurt as much as it does already. Her forehead burned so much, as well as her cheeks.

Bethany couldn't help but watch the girl be upset. She didn't want her to be; this was supposed to be a nice change. To some people, it really wasn't a nice change. Sometimes, people don't want things to change; they want them to stay the way they were. Maybe this was how Quinn was feeling right now. She didn't want things to change. But she's already miles away from her friends and family.

She's especially far away from her boyfriend.

"Do you want to call him? There still might be time."

It was the only idea she had in mind. Quinn just sat there, her cries stopping but tears falling from her eyes still. Bethany hopped off the bed and grabbed her cell phone that sat on the desk in the corner. "Here you go," she said, turning the phone on and handing it to the blonde.

Quinn held it in her hands and looked at the screen that shone on her face. She felt like it was too late, but she didn't want to lose courage. She wanted to do this. She had the opportunity. Why waste it?

* * *

"Hello?"

Joe had finished praying and reading some pages in his Bible in the living room. Once he opened his eyes, he overheard his mother in the other room talking with someone on the phone.

"Baby girl, it's a little late to talk, isn't it? Are you in bed right now?"

It couldn't possibly be. Was Joe's mom actually talking to _Quinn_ on the other line?

He crept over by the stairs, hiding himself slightly and watching his mother in the other room. She had concern in her voice just a little. Was Quinn hurt or something? He had to know. What was going on?

"Oh, I see," Mrs. Hart replied to something the person on the other line said. "You want to talk to him?"

She turned around, almost not spotting her son at first. He had just shot out of view, but a few strands of his dreadlocks were still shown. "Joe, telephone!"

Not being able to get away any further, Joe walked down halfway and received the phone from her mother. He was so nervous. What was going on? Did she forget something?

He held the phone to his ear. "Hello?"

On the other line, he heard a couple of cries and sniffles. "Joe…" the blonde spoke, her voice cracking a little.

"Quinn?" he responded. "What's wrong? Why are you crying?"

She really did have a hard time speaking over the phone. She just wanted a hug from him. If only he wasn't so far away. "I…I…"

"Quinn, what is it?"

"Joe, I miss you." She sounded as if she was practically yelling, and that some people next door from her dorm could hear her. Joe got worried. The poor girl was so far away, and he didn't know what he could do to get her to stop crying.

"I can't get to you, Quinn. I really wish I could."

"I just – Joe, I can't sleep," Quinn explained through her sobs. "I really tried to. I can't do anything about it. Every time I just mentally see you right in front of me, but you're not really there. I need to hug you again. I can't do this alone."

Joe bit his lip hard. Her cries were making Joe a little weak. "Quinn, what am I supposed to do?" he asked, his voice rising a little. "I'm just like you. I want…I want to hug you. Kiss you. Never leave without you. But I'm here in Lima. I can't reach you. I really wish I could. But please tell me what I can do, because I don't really know anymore."

Quinn worried so much. She did see the comparison between his feelings and her own. How come they can't just stay in Lima forever and never let go of each other?

"Promise me…" Quinn started, trying to regain some of her oxygen. "Please promise me that…that you'll continue calling me. I want to hear your voice. I want to be able to talk to you again. I want to hear you sing and laugh."

Joe, swallowing the lump in his throat, nodded.

"Promise me that you'll…that you'll come visit me. Promise me that there will be a day that we get to hug each other all day," Quinn said, still sobbing. "I love you, Joe. I want to keep loving you. I can't get over you at all. I need you. I'll come in the summer, on weekends, and holidays – I promise. I promise all of this to you, Joe. You just have to promise me back."

He was frozen. He couldn't imagine how much he agreed with everything she said. Joe's free hand balled up by his side. _Please, Joe_, he thought to himself. _Don't cry when she's trying to talk to you._

"I will, Quinn," he said after moments of silence. "I promise I'll see you…and I get to talk to you and hug you like always."

Quinn nodded. More tears fell down her porcelain face. She didn't want this phone call to end, but the staff roaming the halls might check if everyone's asleep. She wanted to continue this with Joe. But how can she when they put strict dorm rules on her?

"Quinn? Are you still there?"

"I'm sorry," she spoke, realizing she was silent for just a second. "I just…I just don't want this call to end."

Joe's eyes wandered around until they found the clock on the wall. It was about nine forty, and he was extremely tired. And his mother wouldn't want to raise the phone bill in the house. But he wanted to talk to Quinn all night. Maybe sometime later, he'll get that chance to. It was summer after all.

"Me neither," he said.

Quinn looked at the front door from where she was standing at the island in the kitchen. She overheard someone telling some other freshmen to head off to bed. She knew it was time to head on to sleep. But she wanted to talk with Joe more. She could tell he was a little tired, though.

She really didn't want to have to do this.

"Um…I…I have to go to bed now, Joe."

Joe felt so bad for her. She sounded like she was going to cry louder once she hung up. He cleared his throat just a little – he knew Quinn could hear him – and spoke, "Good…goodnight, Quinn. I love you."

Quinn let out a little heavy breaths and tears. "I love you, too."

And within a second, the connection was lost. Quinn had hung up.

Joe, lowering the phone away from his ear, stood there with worried eyes. His fingers on his loose hand trembled; hopefully he wouldn't drop the phone in his other hand.

He saw his mother come over, and handed the phone to her. He made his way up the stairs awfully slowly. He loved Quinn so much; she sent her to another world where they only existed. Now it felt like Quinn had suffered a heart attack, and now Joe was all alone. He no longer had her physically by her side anymore.

By the time he made it to the top of the stairs, he stopped. He turned around and sat at the top landing, covering his face with his hands. Tears fell out of his eyes, too. He heard his mother take steps up to comfort him. Her hands rubbed on his back, pushing some of his dreads off his back. As much as he loved the comfort, he didn't feel like it worked at all. Nothing was going to erase the fact that Quinn was gone. Nothing would make him feel better.

"_I'm sorry, Joe_," he heard his mother whisper. "_It'll be okay, I promise._"

_Do you really, Mom_, Joe wondered.

He lost hope in everything. This will be a depressing summer.


	31. Chapter 30

Chapter Thirty

Life can be described as various scenarios.

Life at this point was like a cherry tree. Before it was put in the ground, it was just a bag of seeds before it grew roots. Then someone just plants them in the ground after being packaged in their little wrappers and stuff for so long. The soil around them was dry and burying them until they couldn't see the sun and were deep down in the ground.

Then it encounters water – it didn't really matter whether it came from the clouds in the sky, or from someone's water pail – and feels that fresh wetness in their tiny little shells. They start to crack open and turn into roots. Those roots start to grow into a little weed sticking out of the ground, and more water sprinkles on that same spot in the ground. Once it gets enough water daily, it grows into a little tree with little branches on it; the trunk is healthy and fit. On those branches grow the leaves. They're fresh and green, receiving as much carbon dioxide as it can.

Then once the leaves are on there, getting sunlight and water, little buds start growing. The small green buds burst open. Flowers with little petals grow on there, blooming in perfection. Bees come by and pollinate the flowers in the summer until it's time for the flowers to let loose of its petals. The buds swell a little, but then turn into little fruit on the branches. The cherries grow and become ready for harvest.

But there might be that one day when the cherry tree doesn't get enough water – or even lose water altogether – and then start to die out. The cherries, most of them already harvested, won't grow on the branches, and the leaves would die out. Then the plant completely dies out, shriveling in the sunlight, becoming completely useless; it's only seen as a worn-out branches standing up out of the ground.

In a way, Joe Hart can relate to that type of botany.

When he first came to McKinley High School, he was the seeds in the pack; he never got to experience what happened on the outside world. He was so contained with himself, and the only teachers he had in his life were his mother, his father, and Jesus Christ. He didn't have much friends, though – not that his mother wasn't his friend already. He only wondered what could happen if he left his nest and explored everything he missed out on. Soon enough, his parents thought Joe was trustworthy enough to go out there into public school and live a new life.

Once the seed left the pack, he got exposed to the outside atmosphere, including the buildings, the people, the activities – everything. When he got to McKinley, he was welcomed into the God Squad by the former leader, Mercedes Jones, and the other two members, Sam Evans and Quinn Fabray. He eventually got comfortable in sharing good times with other students around the school as well.

Then he encountered water. And who was that sprinkle of liquid that freshened him up? Quinn Fabray.

He was so fond of her. She was beautiful and sweet to everyone. She also had a really rough past. Had a baby at sixteen, lost boyfriends, lost her dad – she had it the roughest yet. That's why he cared for him in the first place. He didn't want her to hold onto her depression. He invited her to that party back at Valentine's Day, and they had the time of their lives. Plus, Quinn was a wonderful vocalist, being that she was the lead in the "Cherish" mash-up.

And then, the seed breaks open and the little roots begin to grow, which very well explains how Joe's appreciation for Quinn pretty much showed and evolved him into being her boyfriend. They spent a lot of time together, hanging out with Sam and Mercedes, going out to dinner, just sitting at home with not an idea on what to do.

The same way that the cherry grows its flowers and eventually its fruit, Joe's love for Quinn grows, giving him the ability to have the confidence to go all out for her. It could be anything from a passionate kiss to the biggest bouquet of flowers in the world. Joe got to do so many things with Quinn, most of them, he was proud of doing. He wrote about half of a song for her, took her to prom, gave them a comforting place to rest after that fun little chaos at the amusement park.

Whatever it was, it always made Quinn happy, which made Joe happy as well.

Unfortunately, the tree's not receiving much water, and its branches, leaves, and fruit are all dying slowly. Quinn had just boarded that plane and headed off to New Haven, achieving every possible goal and pursuing any career she wants. Unfortunately, she's not all jazzy about it, especially since she had to leave her boyfriend behind. Joe has been hiding his sadness away from her, but it would always show. The branches that are his arms were becoming weak every passing second he had without Quinn. Everything on him started dying slowly.

And every day for the past two weeks in the summer, he would lay in his bed in his room, eyeing the picture of him, Quinn, Sam, and Mercedes at the Valentine's Day party where the majority of this roller coaster ride began. That was such a long time ago. He had so much fun – although the nervous tension was getting to him a little – and he didn't want it all to end. Unfortunately, things had to end at some point.

* * *

For the past two weeks, Joe hasn't been feeling anything, really. He was lonely, though. When he was looking at her girlfriend's picture dead in the eye, he got teary-eyed a little. When he's sleeping and trying not to think of anything else, he has nightmares of being sent to the fiery depths of hell. Most of the time, he was bored. Not even his trusty guitar, the radio in the living room, nor the books on his shelf would do any good.

He shouldn't be cooped up in his room, though. He thought about passing by Sam's house and listening to a couple of songs on a website called YouTube that he's never heard of. He thought about sitting in the park with his guitar and playing tunes to the birds and some passing people. However, he never had the persuasion. Everything was pretty much boring without Quinn.

Joe remembered on a Wednesday night when he and his dad were playing checkers in the living room, with no explanation on why they wanted to or how checkers even came up in the first place. The young Teen Jesus didn't say a word. His father would always ask him about his days. He wouldn't say anything. Occasionally, he'll look up at the cross table decoration that sat on the coffee table, and pray unknowingly to his dad.

_Heavenly Father, I come to you in the name of Jesus…_

_God, can you please tell me that I'm going to be in the clear? What am I? Tell me, please. I don't feel anything. I don't feel that I exist. Is it just me, or is Quinn's departure putting me in a buzz? Look here at my dad, wondering what's wrong with me. I haven't said a word since we dropped Quinn off at the airport. I have no idea what to say anymore. No idea what to think or feel. Lord, I pray for your guidance. Please, just help me once more._

_In Jesus' name I pray. Amen._

He also remembered on that day when he had gone up to his room for some quiet time after the game. He was so blank on the inside that he didn't know what the hell he was even gonna do. But then he caught himself eyeing the picture sitting on his night stand in his bedroom. Was he born with magnets in his eyes, or was his mind taking control over him?

He had more pictures other than that one, but that one was his favorite. It was one of the many pictures that included not just Quinn, but Mercedes and Sam as well. He loved the God Squad so much, whether all three were there with him or not. But it would be nice for Quinn and Mercedes to return. Too bad they're both headed off to different states. Now it's just him and Sam left, both missing their significant others and living in the world of McKinley High School with barely anything to show for it.

The helpless dreadlocked boy stood there in the middle of his room, with his eyes closed and his head lifted up to the ceiling. He couldn't clearly hear God answering his last prayer, but he demanded an answer so he can stop moping around the house all day and enjoy his freedom. _Lord, what should I think? What should I say? What should I do?_

The next weirdest thought he had was if there were held phone calls and extra long lines in heaven like there would be at banks and electronic stores.

His eyes opened slowly and went into the direction of his desk. His summer homework was scattered all over the desk carelessly, along with a stack of fresh notebook paper in the corner, some pens and pencils in a mug, and his blue Bible in the center. He immediately thought of two things: he hasn't cleaned that desk in a while, and it was time to get rid of this thing he called utter silence.

He walked over and sat at his desk, neatly stacking his homework and putting it to the side, and grabbing a fresh sheet of notebook paper. He took a black pen from the mug, took the cap off, and tapped it against the desk as he thought of words to say.

The only problem was, he didn't know specifically what to write about. Could he write about visiting Miami for the first time? He could possibly write a fictional story about a Christian boy who had to fight Satan out of everyone's lives. Maybe another song about how wonderful God is would do the trick – that is, if he had the train of thought.

His eyes shut yet again, a groan coming out of his mouth. Ideas swirled around in his mind, his spirit hand trying to reach in there and grab a surefire idea.

And then he put the pen to the paper.

He didn't think anything; he just wrote words. Feeling words, action words, creative little phrases – anything. He wasn't stopping to think about what he was writing; his right hand kept moving swiftly over the piece of paper as he wrote more. He mentioned his mother and father in it. Judy as well. Sam and Mercedes were included somewhere, as well as Brittany and Santana. Some feelings he wrote down were happy feelings, sad ones, angry ones, lonely ones. He had written so many feeling words on his paper that he can't even remember the more he scribbled.

Then he started thinking about what he wrote and bit his lip. For some reason, he got nervous. He didn't know what his purpose was for writing all of this down. He just continued on with it. It turned into a page and a half work he started for no reason at all. What was he going to do with all of this?

He looked back and what he put down. He had written so much. A full first page was covered in words, and the second page was almost full on the front. Most of his feelings and memories of his high school experience were all written on that piece of paper. These were the kind of things he couldn't talk with his parents about, though. They wouldn't understand.

Someone was bound to understand what he had written down. Someone was bound to give him a straight answer as to what he was meaning in all of this. Who could possibly know?

The next thing he caught himself doing was receiving an envelope from his father's office and folding the two sheets of paper. Once he returned, his placed his signature on the bottom of the sheet of paper with Xs, Os, and a small heart by his last name. He eyed that little symbol, thinking of how much significance it had to his surname. He loved a lot of people in his life. Even if they didn't love him back, he'd still show a little shred of appreciation.

Love, to him, came in many forms. Love for family. Love for friends. Love for significant others. Love for neighbors. Love for people in general. Love for God. Love for life. The possibilities were almost endless. There were certainly no limits to it, either. All that mattered was just –

Wait, he's heard that before. Joe's heard that phrase before…but he forgot _when_.

He looked back at his writing before placing it into the envelope he had. One one of the lines, it mentioned that incident he got into at the family movie night at school. There was an issue going on having to do with his father. About a month before, Joe had invited Quinn to come over their house, with Judy alongside. They were having a good old time, talking about school and the God Squad. The same day, Quinn regained her spot on the Cheerios squad. He was so proud of her then.

And then Judy spoke up about her daughter and Joe's first kiss at the restaurant they went to.

No wonder he almost couldn't remember. Quinn was so embarrassed that night, and Mr. Hart went into a blowing rage. He put a kissing limit on his son and his son's girlfriend, which caused them to almost not interact with each other for a whole month.

Then he and Quinn were to sing "Saving All My Love For You" for Whitney Houston week in the Glee club. They couldn't resist each other, and they wanted it so bad. After finding out that Quinn was going to be at the movie night, he came up with the whole idea in the first place.

He had forgotten about that _no limit to love_ thing for a very long time. Not one boundary could stop anyone from giving in the love they have for somebody else.

And if that was true, then he very well knew what he was going to do.

He placed the two pieces of paper into the envelope, folding them as neatly as possible, and sealing the envelope flap. The sticky part tasted awful on his flat tongue. He wanted to rub it against something to get that disgusting taste off, but he had an important letter to mail.

After the envelope flap was pressed down neatly, he turned to the front of it and put his name in print on the top left-hand corner, along with his address, city and state. His hand slid down to the middle of the envelope, scribbling Quinn Fabray's full name on it, along with her address that her mother gave her some time ago. He had a story to tell. He had a story to tell to the one he loves. He wasn't going to be taken down once more.

Teen Jesus had asked for a stamp before leaving the house to the mailbox two blocks down. He pressed it on the top right-hand corner neatly, and then sprinted out of the house, leaving his sandals in the house and walking barefoot on the smooth sidewalk.

Every ten seconds, he would look down at the envelope with Quinn's name on it. It was printed on there, neatly enough so she could see it – or at least, he _hoped_ she would get to see it. She was so busy with college. She has a new friend, he bet. More friends like she had in high school. Maybe when she had the time – on a weekend or in the evening sometime – she would get to read it.

He passed the two blocks and finally reached a corner. A blue mailbox sat there, supposedly full of letters inside. Teen Jesus walked slowly to the mailbox, eyeing the letter one more time. He closed his eyes once more and prayed to God that she'd get that letter. There can't be one day where Quinn would stop thinking about him – there just couldn't.

He opened the little drawer and slipped the envelope inside. It was deep and dark inside that thing. Maybe there weren't that many letters. Maybe there was more than expected. Either way, the mail carrier had to get that letter to Connecticut and to Quinn in Yale. It was the only thing Joe could ask for.

Seconds passed, and Joe closed the mailbox, turning back around and headed towards home.

* * *

Classes were over for one weekend out of the two weeks that Joe has been moping all around the house for. Quinn was in her dorm room, reading a couple of romance novels and eating mini Snickers bars. She was so bored, but she didn't want to leave her dorm room. She felt so comfortable where she was right now. All she needed was the empty space around her.

Bethany made it inside, handing the girl an envelope she spotted in the mail. "Someone sent this for you," she spoke.

The blonde looked down at the handwriting. It was nowhere familiar – until she saw the name in the corner of the envelope.

_Joe_, she thought. _It's from Joe._

Bethany stood there in a moment of silence as Quinn observed the envelope. She wasn't much of an extrovert lately. She would always read romance books, eat chocolate, do homework, and drink tea with honey in the living room while watching _Gossip Girl_. This wasn't the Quinn Fabray was expecting to see every day. Where was she right now?

"Brandy and Patricia called me and invited me to go out with them to the movies," she began, "and they wanted to know if you'd be willing to come, too."

Quinn's eyes were still on the letter for a minute. She didn't want to leave this spot, wondering what Joe put on the sheet of paper folded inside. She wanted to know what he wrote. Does he still miss her? Did his parents and her mother talk lately? Was it just a simple letter saying what he was up to right now? She wanted to know.

The blonde looked up and shook her head. "No, I think I'll just stay here."

"Are you sure? Wouldn't want you to be lonely or anything."

It was better being alone than being curious, Quinn thought in the back of her mind.

"I'm sure. Have fun."

Bethany only slightly nodded. It would've been more fun if her roommate was going with her instead of sitting on the bed all day by herself. Maybe one day, she'll come around and want to hang out with the rest of the campus freshmen.

As the brunette left the room, Quinn took a pen from her night stand and slid it through the flap, attempting to open up the letter. It was sloppy, but it came open successfully. The next thing she saw was a bunch of words written on two sheets of paper. He sure did write a lot. She was still curious to know, though.

She took out the first paper that sat in the envelope, and read every bit of handwriting placed on it.

_You can say I'm lost right now, right? More like alone. I mean, I have a lot of people in my life, all so wonderful. God is always watching over me, of course, along with the rest of the people in this world. It's kinda crazy how one person can do that, but…you know, God is a lifesaver after all. However, I still have that empty space inside of me, and there's really nothing to fill it. I would strum at my guitar, but I've lost my tune and train of thought. I would spend some time with my parents downstairs, but I don't have much conversation. I would go out and converse with friends, but I don't have the energy. I'm lost and alone: the two worst things for me to feel right now…but I don't know what I can possibly do._

Quinn could sense Joe's loneliness. She was lonely herself, too. Whenever people asked her to hang out, she would sit in her room, reading or laying down for some odd reason. Her roommate almost couldn't get a word out of her one time. She thought she was hitting that stage where she wanted to kill herself, which sounded pretty absurd. Quinn loved life too much to want to get rid of hers.

The start of Joe's letter was beautifully written, and Quinn was anxious to read more.

_I like to read. Mostly the Bible, but there are many other books I like to dig my nose in. Fiction novels. Comedic tales. Dramatic sagas. Romantic love stories. Some people say that they read only one type of genre when it comes to books. I, like others, have many. My whole life is a novel, I should know. So many things have happened at so little time. Although I may not be in the mood for reading right now, I can still lay on this bed mattress here and visualize everything that's happened in the little book that is Joseph Hart's life._

_My mom and dad have been telling many stories of me when I was young. It was so hard to believe them starting at the years when I was about two or three years old. I mean, anyone can do that, right? Anyone can not believe something someone tells them. I still can't get over the time my mother told me about me placing my face into the birthday cupcake my grandmother baked for me._

Quinn couldn't help but giggle; it sounded like Joe had some adorable, funny moments as a little baby.

She never knew Joe was that much of a reader. Well, the Bible was always a good book to read, but she never thought of Joe reading other books other than the Bible. He did have a great taste in literature. Comedic, dramatic, romantic, fictional – they were all of Quinn's favorites, too.

_I'm no longer a baby anymore; I'm just this lone teenager with the Bible tattoos, the trusty guitar, and the flowing dreadlocks. Other people say that there's more to me that just that. I do love God and his creations. If God didn't make all of this, nothing would ever come to be. The earth would just be a big ball of nothing. He's put so much light into my life, especially at the point when I walked out of my house and into the outside world. I love it so much. Fresh air, more people to talk to, so many sights to see – the freedom for an average American teenager like me._

_High school was a big experience for me. I will never forget it, no matter what age I am. The first three friends I met when I came to William McKinley High School, all welcoming and sweet, were Mercedes Jones, Sam Evans…and Quinn Fabray. God has blessed me with all of these wonderful gifts in addition to the gift of life. If my mother and father had said that I couldn't do public school, I wouldn't have so much glory in my life. I wouldn't have been a proud member of the God Squad, the Christian group in McKinley. I wouldn't have met so many wonderful students._

_Speaking of wonderful students…well, there's this one that I'll never forget. She's the first crush that I've ever had since I came to public school. She's like a swan; beautiful, graceful, loving – well, I'm not sure if swans have hair, but you know. Still, she was a wonderful girl. I was desperate to get to know her and help her, because she seemed to have so many issues going on. It started a few days before the Valentine's Day party at a place called Breadstix._

Quinn's jaw dropped. _He actually remembered everything that happened back then_, she thought as her eyes danced over the letter he wrote.

_She said something about going home after realizing that she would have to bring a date to the party. It sounds pretty…ridiculous to me. Why should it be mandatory to bring a date to a party? Can we all just be free? Well, since there was nothing I could do about that rule, I took the liberty in asking her. She seemed pretty glad to know that I had her back._

The blonde sure was glad that Joe had her back. If she hadn't gone to that party, she would have a bum Valentine's Day, and Joe wouldn't have been able to dance and sing with her.

_The most embarrassing thing about that party, though, was that – regardless of my religious values – my body still wants to get a little crazy. I really didn't want to upset my mother and father by mentioning this type of stuff. I wasn't ready for sex, and I'm still not. I've been taught so many times to protect myself from having premarital sex. I want to get married to a very sweet, pretty woman when I grow up and have a career. But how can I? This girl…she's the most wonderful girl I've ever met. I can't control myself – well, I'm not going to have sex, of course – but there's so much my mind is going through._

_Luckily, this girl helped me and I feel more comfortable about myself than ever. I got to sit next to her without fidgeting in the chair. I got to stand in front of her without sweating and hyperventilating like a maniac. I got to hold her hand without my arms shaking. We even got declared boyfriend and girlfriend a while after that whole incident. My first kiss – although awkward – was the most amazing experience of my life. I've never kissed girls before, and it felt kinda right. All I could think of when my eyes shut was the girl hugging me and warming me up on the inside._

Every time Quinn thought of the times Joe walked away from her when he was having his erections, she couldn't help but smile. Sure, she felt down when Joe wouldn't even talk to her, but it was good to know that he actually had feelings for her. And everything Joe had sent her in these paragraphs were so thoughtful of him. It was the exact thing she expected to know back then when he wasn't talking to her.

_Actually, hugging was all we could do at one point later on. My dad eventually found out about our first kiss, and then stressed the religion thing on me again. I agree with my parents, I do. There are so many dangers, and I try my best to avoid them. But can't I at least be myself when I'm with my girlfriend? It really frustrated me._

_A whole month later, we sung together. Her voice was as beautiful as always. It sounded like angels coming down to take me to heaven. I mean, there were many wonderful voices in the Glee club. There was a Latina girl with a strong, raspy voice. And then there was Mercedes; her voice can blow out the universe, as well as another girl named Rachel Berry. I had to kiss her again. Me being separate from her made me so mad. I didn't want to be; I want her on me, and to keep loving me. I'd do the same if I were in her steps._

_My father wouldn't allow this, though. He basically made this a temporary thing, but until I propose to the right girl once I've graduated from college. That's a long way away. Not only that, but limiting my love for a girl…that's – that's just not fair. She told me about love having no boundaries, and I agreed with her. I love my parents, my friends, my school, my neighborhood, my faith – I love everything. So why shouldn't I love my own girlfriend?_

_And here I am, breaking all boundaries free and allowing my mind and body to do whatever it wants to do. I keep loving this girl so much, and I still will. She's a precious, radiant person that is so nice to everyone she meets. Even when she was having a terrible day, we try to get a smile growing on her face. I love it when she has that glittery smile on her face. I look forward to seeing that every day._

Quinn's eyes got watery, but this time she was amazed. He actually wrote all of this for her, and he sure did look like he meant every single word of it. Every day Quinn has been in New Haven, Connecticut, she would always cry of sadness because she had left all of her friends and family behind. She won't be able to see them unless she was taking a break around the holidays or sometime during summer vacation.

But now, as she glanced upon these words her dreadlocked boyfriend wrote for her, she felt like she could still be safe here, whether Joe was by her side or not. They still had the opportunity to write letters back and forth to her. And there were always phone calls and the pictures they each had in their rooms.

Maybe Quinn wasn't so much alone after all. Maybe she's actually safe here. Maybe things will turn out to be okay.

_Right now, though, I feel…well, I don't know what to feel. I'm so blank. No one can understand me. I sit there quiet and stuff, and I always feel as if there's one thing missing. Well, there is one thing missing. But it's in a greener pasture somewhere, a location where everyone's successful and charming, and they can lead on great lives. In a way, I'm glad it's in a better place. It needs to live on and achieve all the goals it can. It needs to expand their talents and abilities, and become something helpful in the world._

_That little something…is my girlfriend, Quinn Fabray._

_-Joseph "Joe" Hart_

The blonde's face was about to be covered in tears again. She was so blessed. She was blessed every day, she was pretty sure that she was highly blessed at this point in the day. Joe _did_ miss her; he missed her so much that it hurts. It hurts according to his thoughts written down on those two sheets of paper Quinn received. He was hurting right now, and the blonde couldn't feel more bad for him than ever.

She wanted to call him and see if he wanted to talk about the rest of this, she really did. But she didn't know what she wanted to actually say. She had so many questions about the things she read in Joe's letter, but she wasn't sure if he was up to answering or what she would say to him.

She placed the two sheets of paper next to the pillow on her bed, and started walking into the kitchen. She was so touched, and she almost stumbled over, thinking about the boy and what he was doing right now.

She had reached into the refrigerator for a can of diet Sierra Mist, and then closed the door. She looked at the freezer door. It contained many pictures: Bethany's pictures on the left side, and Quinn's pictures on the right. Two or three pictures were of her and Joe with people like Sam, Mercedes, Brittany, and Santana at prom night. Joe wasn't old enough to be there, but he was to perform with New Directions. She was blessed for that, too, because she loved to hear Teen Jesus' wonderful voice.

She was starting to have some homesick-type feelings. She wanted to go back home and see her friends and family again. She wanted Joe to hug her and kiss her like he described in the letter to her. She missed all of that. But she had to stay here and get her education in college. Well, there was still time left; about a couple of months until she actually goes back to school.

The thought of all this made Quinn feel weak again.

Making the decision to think about all of this later, she headed on to the living room to watch another episode of _Gossip Girl_.

* * *

With the two weeks that had passed since Quinn went to New Haven, Joe has had nothing to do. All day – if he was not doing homework, reading the Bible, or having dinner with his parents – he would stay asleep in his bed, or at least try, blocking the light out of his eyes. Sure, it made him hot with the summer sun seeping through the window, but he'd rather be hot than helpless – which was pretty impossible not to feel.

His mother would check on her son daily. She couldn't stand him staying in his room every day. There was so much fresh air to be explored outside, and he was basically blocking it all out. He didn't want fresh air; he just wanted to be alone, because he'd rather be alone if he didn't have Quinn with him.

One point last week, Mrs. Hart would ask him if he'd be willing to go down to the church and help with either the weekly Bible study or the Sunday school for children. He rejected both. Usually he would always volunteer with stuff with his parents, especially when it had to do with the church. No one could get him out of bed for anything. Mrs. Hart really wanted to help him.

"Joseph." Her sweet voice called to the dreadlocked boy who covered his face with the bed sheets. He didn't respond, but rolled over so he couldn't hear any other voice seep in the room and tried shutting his eyes closed.

His mother stepped in the room and walked slowly over to his bed, sitting beside him and putting her hand on his arm. "Sweetie, can you wake up for me?"

Joe moaned and took the pillow to cover his ears.

"Joe, I really need to talk to you. Can you please get up out of bed for me?"

The boy shook his head under the pillow. His voice sounded muffled. "_Mom, I wanna sleep._"

Mrs. Hart shook Teen Jesus' arm a little, making another attempt to wake her up. "You've been in that bed for two weeks," she stated. Joe could care less; he could be a human bear, going through hibernation for the whole summer. "Besides, someone wants to speak with you."

Her son really wanted to ask if it was Quinn that wanted to talk to him, but he doubted it. She was the only person Joe wanted to talk to. Until he got to her, he didn't want anything to do with anyone else.

"Please, son," his mother pleaded. "It's important. Judy's here. She wants to speak with you."

Judy? As in Judy Fabray?

Joe continued complaining, but reluctantly climbed out of the bed. As he got up and stretched himself out, his mother placed some jeans and a V-neck shirt for Joe to change into. The sun was blinding Joe's eyes, and he really wanted back in that bed to cover his face. But his mother want him downstairs. "Be down in about three, okay?" she asked, and then she left into the living room downstairs.

The dreadlocked boy took his pajama shirt off and replaced it with the gray V-neck, and slipped his pants off to put the jeans on. If Judy was here to try to cheer him up, it wasn't going to help anything.

By the time he got fully dressed, he slowly and reluctantly headed down the stairs where he met up with his mother and Judy Fabray. They were so glad that he was finally able to get up out of bed. One more day staying cooped up in that room, and they probably would've lost Joe Hart forever.

"Hello, honey." Judy's voice still sounded sweet from the last time Joe heard it.

"Hello, Mrs. Fabray." He had some type of melancholy in his voice, which his mother was always worried about for these past two weeks.

Joe followed his mother and Judy into the living room to sit down on the couch. Judy faced the boy, folding her hands in her lap and taking a deep breath. Joe suspected that it was more terrible news. The last thing he wanted was terrible news. That's one of the things he thought about when it came to wondering what Quinn was up to. If she had gotten into more trouble, he'd be crushed.

"Look, Joe," Judy began, "I know that you're…upset by having to let your girlfriend go. I love her so much, I understand. She was the only girl left in the house after we let Frannie go a while back."

The dreadlocked boy nodded, his eyes stuck on his bare feet.

"I don't want you to feel any worse than you do already. This is your summer vacation, and I don't want to ruin it for you," Judy continued. "What I've realized is…well, I care a lot about you. You're such a sweetheart, and you would try to love everyone for who they are. You're a wonderful person, Joseph."

Joe blushed at Judy's comment. He tries to be as sweet as possible and not hurt anyone's feelings. As much as he loves Mrs. Fabray's caring comments, he didn't understand the point of all of this.

The woman pulled out something from her purse and handed it to Teen Jesus. It was a white envelope with a heart sticker sealing the flap.

Joe started opening up the flap. He could've sworn it was a letter from Quinn, but she hasn't responded to the last letter he sent. Maybe she was busy with something else. Maybe she's not comfortable in talking to anyone. Maybe she just wants some time to her own. Whatever it was, he hoped she'll get to reply to his letter soon.

He saw a train card inside one of those cards people get from Walgreens. On the front of the Walgreens card, it had some vines on the sides, and had some words on it. It was basically some type of get-better card, even though he wasn't sick or in the hospital or anything.

Joe took the train card out and looked at the front. It said _Train Pass: New Haven, Connecticut_ on the bottom left-hand corner. Joe's jaw dropped. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. Was this really a train pass to New Haven? Was Judy actually doing this?

"I hated to see you mope around and feel the same depression my poor daughter felt," Judy spoke up. "You have so much to do, and I want to show you that there's more to feel than just lonely and upset. So your mother and I bought you a New Haven train pass, allowing you to go visit her."

A big grin spread on Joe's face; it was making his face hurt. He still couldn't believe Judy actually did this for him. This was the best news he's heard all week. How can he thank her?

He couldn't think of anything big. He just stood up out of his seat and hugged the blonde woman, his arms wrapped around her and feeling more secure. Judy hugged back, rubbing circles on Joe's back, feeling the texture of his dreads. Mrs. Hart couldn't help but watch in awe. She was so happy to see a smile on her son's face.

"Joe," Judy spoke up again after the boy had released her. "I want you to use that card wisely. You would need to keep putting money on it, and I wouldn't want you to run out –"

Joe looked up from the card and nodded. "I promise, ma'am," he spoke up. His eyes fell on his mother, who was grinning at the sight of his delighted son. "Thank you guys so much. I love this!" he exclaimed, attacking his mother with a warm, delightful hug.

Mrs. Hart was blessed to have Joe's little smirk back. She missed it so much. Her son was always moping around, feeling depressed and having completely nothing to do. Now that he had the opportunity to see Quinn, he can have his regular, cheery talks again. She'll definitely be looking forward to that.

"I know you do, sweetie. I know," Mrs. Hart spoke to the boy in her arms. She hugged him a little tighter as he rested on her shoulder.

Joe's smile was nearly glued on his face. He was going to see Quinn after all. And every time he had the chance, he hoped it would be as wonderful as the last time.

And Joe knew for a fact that there wouldn't be a last time.

* * *

_Author's Note: I am so sorry this took too long. I've been very busy with work. I need to keep up with these more. Hopefully, I will. Just to let you know, I am still writing these. So bear with me, okay? And thank you for the reviews and follows. I appreciate them._


	32. Chapter 31

Chapter Thirty-One

"Can I be honest? One of the professors I've met so far seems…well…"

"Seems what?" The brunette had been going in different directions for different tasks: popping popcorn, reading a section in her Reading Comprehension 101 book, and constantly changing the radio station when something they considered _lame_ or _old_ came on.

"Well, she seem to be…overly excited for stuff," Quinn complained as she flipped through channels on the TV seconds after watching a commercial for _Beauty and Skin Deep Moisturizer_. "I know we're four years away from getting our own careers and everything, but there's not a need to be that enthusiastic about something you've been dealing with for the past twelve to fourteen years of your life."

Thinking back to when she stood out there on McKinley High's football field, she finally understood Coach Sylvester's groaning and zoning out on the young girls in the crisp, red, white and black uniforms when they did certain numbers.

Quinn always rolled her eyes or protested against her; she clearly had the performance number for Katy Perry's "California Gurls" in mind. Fire, bikes, fireworks coming from cones that were stuck on the girls' breasts – and she wasn't impressed one bit.

The blonde dropped her eyes down to _Trend-Setter's Magazine_ below her. She was bored at the moment. Whoever knew college life would begin like this?

"I understand," Bethany replied, taking the popcorn out of the microwave. "We're such party poopers, aren't we?"

"Hey, I never said that!" the blonde called, throwing a pillow at her as she came in the room.

They both shared friendly laughs, and Bethany joined her on the couch and listened to the song "Titanium" come on the radio. "But you're a little right, though. I need some excitement somewhere in my life. I just feel…you know –"

"Dull?"

"Kind of, sort of."

"Is that all you can say?"

"Yes. What do you want me to do?"

"I would suggest the Hap Spot at about six or something," Bethany suggested, reading a pamphlet she got from downstairs in the lobby. "It's a party place of some sorts." She looked closely at some of the pictures inside. "Ooh, they have hot guys here?"

Quinn shook her head. "Don't even think about it."

"Why not?"

"I'm never giving up for any of them," Quinn explained. She looked up from her magazine and gazed off at something on the far end of the room. "Besides, I already have one."

Bethany nodded understandably. "Well, that's true. Sorry 'bout that; I must've forgotten about your…your boyfriend."

She could tell Quinn still misses him. It's hidden somewhere in her heart somewhere. She just didn't want to bring it out due to the massive numb stages she goes through on certain occasions.

Bethany threw some popcorn in her mouth without dropping a single crumb. "But in all honesty, Quinn," she began, with the buttery goodness on the inside of her mouth, "you need something to do. You need to get out a little more."

"Didn't we just do that?"

"No, not like that. I mean, we _did_, actually," Bethany explained. "Then there will be days where you sit around and do nothing. That leads to loneliness and then you feel miserable."

The blonde's eyebrows inched on her head. "What the hell are you supposed to be, a therapist?"

Bethany smirked. "Do you think I could be?"

Quinn playfully rolled her eyes and laughed along with the brunette. _In her own world, she could be_, she thought.

Their laughing moment ended when Bethany took another look at her roommate. She let out a little. Spending time with new students in Yale gave her a little edge, which seemed pretty impressive while it lasted.

However, nothing was going to take away the fact that Joe wasn't there with her.

Bethany remembered how Quinn described him. Heavily religious. Surprisingly talented. Undeniably cute. So sweet that if he were candy, you'd get as many cavities as Brittany S. Pierce did in her junior year eating him up.

Every time she and Bethany would head towards the bus to the library, she would have the song "Saving All My Love For You" playing on her phone, the soothing vocals blowing through the earphones and into her ears. Sometimes, she would hum to the tune without a care in the world.

She had told Bethany that one of Whitney's classics was a duet between her and Joe in Glee club.

That was the moment when her nerves were getting the better of her. Joe settled her down. He strummed at his guitar, looking her in the eyes and shooting contagious smiles at her. It didn't take anything more or less.

Bethany knew in the back of her mind that she won't have that kind of chemistry she and Joe had, but she knew what it felt like. It was something compared to _The Notebook_ or something like that; it was just sickly adorable, but understandably depressing.

"Quinn," the brunette finally spoke up, with Quinn turning towards her in response. "Do you think you'll be okay for the next couple of days?"

The blonde shrugged. "I don't know, really. I think I will."

"The memories may come back to haunt you or whatever. That's why I was asking."

"I understand." Quinn let out a sigh. "I just need something to help me take my mind of being sad every day. I love it here in Yale, but…well, I just don't have the motivation."

"How? Shouldn't Kelly Rowland have taught you that right about now?"

Quinn's eyes bugged out of her head, immediately turned to her roommate, and slapped a big fluffy couch pillow in her face, almost causing her to collapse on the ground.

"Shut up!" Quinn barked playfully. She was definitely not looking for some kind of sexual awakening or whatever the brunette was thinking of.

"I'm just joking with you."

She could make Quinn smile at any way possible. What a good tactic for her homesickness.

And then the door knocked. Neither expected any guests.

Bethany and Quinn both assumed that Carla and Kate had sent some people to inspect the room for anything torn, broken, or damaged. Everything in the dorm seemed perfectly in order, though.

Maybe their parents were going to make a visit or something. It had been a while since the blonde had conversed with her mother. She promised she would call, but never did.

"Did you call up someone?" she asked as she headed towards the door.

"No…unless my cousin Vince was coming to see me." The brunette grabbed the remote and changed to a cable channel, observing a reality TV show fight. "He said he would stop by here one day and see what the place looked like. Did I mention he graduated from Yale, too?"

"Really?"

"Mastered in medical science."

"Impressive."

"Especially since the people down in Nashville, Kentucky need another helping hand with the virus that occurred three months ago – and _still_ spreading!"

"That's terrible."

"God, I know." The brunette hoped Vince didn't catch any of that once he got there.

Quinn's head turned back towards the door, trying to figure out the mystery one behind the door. She wouldn't mind if it were a boy on Yale's varsity football team. The guys in Yale were pretty decent, but the ones of the football team reminded her of Sam and Puck just a tad. God, they were just the goofiest bunch.

The blonde took more steps closer to the front door, grabbing onto the knob without hesitation.

And as the door slid open, her world stopped.

She was speechless, and her jaw had dropped halfway at the sight of the person before her. _How could this be possible_, she wondered.

She almost had to pinch herself a couple more times to figure out if this was real or not. _Was_ this really real? Was this real life? How did he actually get here?

It had been a long time since the girl saw his face. It was still tanned like she saw it before. His eyes still sparkled in the lighting from above. He still wore the same comfortable, although seemed-to-be worn clothing. He still had the same dark brown hair that would hang to his back.

It was like Quinn remembered it months ago. She remembered everything about meeting this guy. The feels were getting the best of her, and she couldn't keep herself from looking away from him. That was all before she had more interaction with him.

And now, he came back, bringing the feels back to the girl.

"Quinn!" he greeted enthusiastically. He even brought the million-watt smile with him.

"I – Joe," the blonde stuttered in response, still with a surprised facial expression.

There were no awkward stares anymore. She fell into one of the dreadlocked boy's warm and sweet hugs. His arms were wrapped around her upper body, his hand rubbing up and down her back.

Quinn's heart was beating rapidly against Joe's chest. She hugged tighter than the last time she hugged him. It's been so long. He didn't change at all. Everything about him was the same – the hair, the smiles, the hugs, the voice – _everything_. She missed all of this.

"You…you came here for me." Quinn still couldn't believe what was happening.

"Quinn," Joe spoke again sweetly, his cheek resting on the side of her head. A soft, wonderful hug from his first-ever girlfriend was the one thing he needed right now. "My God, I missed you so much. How are you –"

He heard heavy breaths beneath him. Was Quinn going to cry again?

"Wait, Quinn." Joe released her for a moment to look down at her face. She was biting down on her bottom lip, looking away from her boyfriend, ashamed. "Quinn, don't cry. What are you –"

"I'm trying not to."

Joe remembered a while ago when she had called the house because she was feeling homesick and wanted to see him. He couldn't express how glad he was to fulfill her wish and come to Connecticut to visit her.

Quinn glanced back up at Teen Jesus and shot him one of her sweet, treasured smiles. "It's been so long since I really got to see you."

"I know it has."

Quinn couldn't help but hold back a giggle at one of Joe's quirky smirks that came up on his face. She begged God to bring back that same smile, cause she wouldn't leave the room without taking a good look at it.

His scent came over her. Whatever he sprayed or washed on his body made him smell like pine, and it was an aroma that almost made Quinn faint.

Her eyes stayed on his, and then fell to his lips. It has definitely been a while since she's gotten to taste his lips onto hers. A part of her knew he was waiting for it, too, being that they had a little moment of silence, causing the temptation to rise between the both of them.

They both leaned in on each other and let their lips touch each other's slowly. They were both drowned into each other for those lasting seconds, and had no memory of the brunette girl in the room until she spoke.

"So this is the Joseph Hart you've been weeping about," Bethany teased.

The blonde gritted her teeth with her mouth closed, not turning back at the giggling brunette behind her.

Bethany extended her arm towards the guy in front of her. "Bethany Everett, Quinn Fabray's roommate."

"Joe Hart, Quinn Fabray's boyfriend." He shook her hand in response.

"Looks like we have something in common already."

Both brunettes laughed at Bethany's joke, leaving Quinn to blush in between.

"But seriously," Bethany continued, "Quinn's been talking about you a lot. And she still has those…well, how do you say it – _worries_ at night or whatever –"

The blonde slapped her hand against Bethany's arm. "_Shut up, Bethany!_"

"Quinn, why be so mean?" Joe asked with a snarky smile, trying to hold back his laugh.

"Yeah, and you know it's true anyway." Bethany smoothed her arm, turning on the ball of her foot, and headed back towards the couch for television.

It really was true. The thought of his arms wrapped around the girl, and his dreads swinging on the back of his head, was sticking into her mind every night. She couldn't sleep. He kept waking the blonde up with his charm and adorable grins.

Sometimes when she woke up in the middle of the night and sobbed, she repetitively told Bethany she didn't know why she did in the first place. It happened naturally in a sense. Crying, after doing it moments after leaving Joe in Lima, was some type of normal thing for her.

It wasn't going to be that way anymore now that he made his little surprise visit to New Haven.

They both got another good look at each other, realizing that much didn't change after all.

"I'm so blessed to see you again, Quinn."

"I am, too." Quinn took an opportunity to let her hand ghost up Joe's right bicep, and her fingers to stroke at his lengthy dreadlocks. "How were you able to get here?"

"Your mother gave me a train pass from Lima to New Haven. She said I could use it whenever I want to see you."

That adorable smile came back on Quinn's face. Now she was really blessed to have a mom as amazing as hers.

Joe's hazel eyes stayed on Quinn's. He had the pass, and he could come by and see Quinn when he wanted. Now neither one would be as alone as they were. It was such a blessing from God he would never take back.

"I promise to come by and see you every week if I can," Joe spoke. "I want to continue talking with you."

"Are you sure it'll be every week?" the girl below him giggled.

"Yes. On weekends, only if you're not that busy on the weekends."

Quinn's left hand went up to Joe's cheek, her thumb caressing it. "I would love that."

Joe blushed at the girl's touch. He especially missed the many touches that Quinn would place on his face and arms. He honestly couldn't believe that he was, faith-wise, being led into the wrong direction; but he couldn't resist the blonde. His tingly senses were giving him the wake-up call.

The feeling in Quinn's arms were giving her a sensation as well. As her hands rubbed against Joe's features, she received the boy's figure back after not being able to touch him in so long. She didn't know if his family had work-out gear, but his arms and chest seemed tougher than the last time she remembered.

Now that Joe was here with her, Quinn didn't want to waste any time. For all she knew, he could be leaving as soon as four hours. She wasn't letting him out of her sight.

The petite blonde's hand slid down to Joe's chest, and her eyes stayed on his. "Would you mind if we did something together while you're here?"

Joe shrugged willingly. "What would you like to do?"

"I think I know just the perfect thing."

* * *

There was a small coffee shop just outside of campus known as Scent N' Steam. Quinn had remembered going there with Bethany and a couple of sophomores a couple of days ago. She cherished the cinnamon latte she had ordered, and made that her usual order for the next five times she went.

The name of the place seemed pretty genuine. People would enter through the front entrance, the small bell ringing above their heads, and become one with the scent of coffee beans cooking behind the counters. Hazelnut flavor in one area, caramel in another. French vanilla, peppermint, chocolate raspberry, banana split – any flavor imaginable.

A major plus to the area was the fact that it was always warm on the inside. Even in the winter when there were heavy storms and blizzards, it was always cozy inside.

Quinn knew where she was going if the heat didn't work in the dorms.

The blonde and her high school boyfriend walked hand in hand through the push-open door, cherishing the sound of the bell ringing as they entered. Several Yale students, along with some strangers, were already seated inside drinking their mochas and lattes and carrying on with their business.

Joe took a sniff of the space around him. "It smells good in here," he told Quinn.

"The French vanilla coffee must be cooking somewhere." The blonde recognized the French vanilla-flavored scent everywhere. "They say it's very decent."

They both waited behind a woman who was ordering a butter pecan-flavored coffee.

As Joe glanced at the menu above him with the orders and prices written in chalk, Quinn brought her right hand to Joe's arm, which accompanied Quinn's left hand, and rubbed it a little. Her head rested on his shoulder for a moment.

This was another reason, aside from the delicious smells and the tastes of the heartfelt drinks, why she wanted to come here.

This place wholeheartedly remind her of Teen Jesus. Her cheek brushed against his gray cardigan, retrieving the memory of how soft his sweaters were. He was such a warm-hearted person. He was just as warm as the hugs Quinn received from him. His arms were especially muscular, and he squeezed her against his body, making all of the chills go away.

And Quinn would take a breather of the scent that clung to his body. One day he'll smell like pine trees. Another, some type of wood-like smell. Another, possibly green tea leaves. Whatever day it was, he'll have the same – or maybe different – smell on him, and Quinn's eyes would just flutter shut.

The blonde never knew the dreadlocked boy had so much in common with an off-campus coffee shop.

"Good afternoon." The lady in front of the couple had left with her order. Joe and Quinn were greeted by a man with curly, dirty blonde hair under a visor with the store's logo on it. "Welcome to Scent N' Steam. May I take your order?"

"Good afternoon. I'll just take a cinnamon latte."

"And you, sir?" The man behind the counter had turned towards Joe's direction.

Joe's lips pressed together, still eyeing the menu from above. He never drank coffee before, and had this strange feeling about what each would taste like. He wouldn't want to explain to his mother what a terrible experience he had coming here.

"_You never had coffee before?_" the blonde beside him asked.

Joe responds with a shy head shake. "_Which would you prefer?_"

The blonde brought her eyes up the menu and pointed to an order the highest above under the heading _Mochas and Lattes_. "Maybe French vanilla. Always a customer's first try."

The dreadlocked boy nodded in agreement. It was better than standing there as confused as a deaf person.

"So, a French vanilla then?" the man had overheard Quinn's request.

"Yes please," Joe replied politely.

Quinn had paid the curly-haired man about sixteen dollars, and he had gone to cook the beans for both beverages. Once his back was turned, Quinn's head was turned to Teen Jesus.

"You seriously never tried it before?"

"No. I once asked dad for a taste, but he said I was too young for it."

"How young were you exactly?"

"About thirteen or fourteen. Something like that."

Quinn gushed at Joe's reply. Of course, he was too young. But if he weren't, that would be one less thing Quinn would have to expose him to. "Oh well. Your dad's coffee may not measure up to what they have here."

"Perhaps not. He gets the Folgers kind from the grocery store."

Quinn's face scrunched up in disgust. _No wonder his dad didn't want him drinking that_, she thought. "Gross."

"Hey, he likes it. He even puts cream in it on some occasions when he's in a good mood."

The blonde's head slowly shook. "Still gross."

Playfully, Joe slapped his hand onto Quinn's shoulder, almost pushing her away. The petite blonde's jaw dropped and pushed against Joe's arm, both of them sharing laughs.

The man behind the counter had come back with both of their drinks, warm and delicious as the coffee usually is in the shop. Quinn and Joe took their drinks and found a booth area to sit at, blowing at their lattes and sipping some through the small opening on the cap.

Once the French vanilla latte swam through Joe's body, he felt himself warming up even more and his adrenaline rushing through his chest and arms. Quinn made the right decision. The relish of the French vanilla flavor stuck to his tongue.

"You like it?" his girlfriend asked from across the table.

"It's very good."

Quinn blushed as he took another sip. She knew he would enjoy the place. Everyone in Yale she knew that went here did. It was like _The Lima Bean_ back in Lima, Ohio had exclusively moved down to New Haven, Connecticut and updated on every last of their flavors.

Everything was coming towards her from Lima – the coffee shop, the Rachel Berry slash Mercedes Jones slash Brittany S. Pierce-like personality of Bethany Everett, religious McKinley student Joseph Hart. New Haven, Connecticut really did feel like home.

The dreadlocked boy placed his latte to the side on the table and glared at Quinn out of curiosity. "So…why here?"

Quinn's eyebrows furrowed. "What do you mean?"

"Why did you want to come here?"

The blonde thought about it, tapping on the sides of her coffee cup. "Well…I was bored today, first of all. Bethany, my roommate, had mentioned that I needed to get out a little more –"

"What do you mean by that?"

"Well…" Her fingers tapped a little faster on the cup's sides. This was such a touchy subject to discuss. "Ever since I came here to Yale University, I…well, I've been having depression stages that have been taking over me somehow –"

She spotted Joe biting down on his lip, which obviously meant that he was nervous about what Quinn had said.

"Depression…having to do with moving, right?"

"Yeah. Homesickness, the majority of the time."

"That shouldn't be you, Quinn. You're not like that."

"I know, Joe. It's just – well, it's still summer, first of all. And I've been very lonely with the exception of Bethany and some other Yale students. I missed hanging out with the girls back at home. I missed having you as company."

"Should that be an excuse to sit in the dorm room and crying every night?"

"You gave me assurance, Joe. And confidence. And determination. I'm still fresh bait here in Connecticut, even after a couple of weeks being here."

"But that would give you an opportunity to do more exploring, right? That's what I've been taught back at home, whether it's a new place I've never been to before…" His left hand slid across the table and met with Quinn's, his fingers twining with hers, "…or a relationship with someone I've just met."

Quinn smiled. "It hasn't been that long."

"It used to be. Remember that."

The blonde bit her lip playfully. "It guess it has."

She felt a little squeeze from Joe's hand, which she welcomed willingly. She felt his invisible tether attached to her, the figurative object not breaking at any point in time. That speech made at Sue's sister's funeral was very meaningful, especially now.

She took a moment to sip at her cinnamon latte. Her eyes studied Joe's face. He felt the urge to say something, but had no idea on how to get it out to her.

Quinn was very comfortable with Joe now. She felt like he should be, too. Quinn was no longer a stranger to him now that they have been conversing with each other since February.

She placed the cup back down, and her left hand grabbed the hand that was resting over her right. It was still warm from the latte she had been drinking. It sent more chills down Joe's spine.

"You thinking about something?" the blonde asked.

Joe looked up to his girlfriend for just a second, allowing her eyes to blind his with her sparkle. God, she really loved her. He would always think about her, even when he had so much on his mind.

"Yeah…" He trailed off.

Quinn's grin widened. "What is it?" she interrogated adorably.

"Can…" Once again, his nerves were getting the better of him. His legs shook, and his mind was flipping around and about. He had came over to Quinn, leaving his French vanilla latte abandoned to sit beside the blonde. "_May I kiss you?_"

"Should you ask for permission?" the girl giggled.

"I feel it's the polite thing to do, even in public."

"Joe, you're polite enough –"

"I don't feel that it's enough."

The boy was so precious. There had to be more guys in the world just like him. His adorable replies made Quinn blush many shades of red and grin many lengths her lips could stretch out to.

She felt Joe's right hand grab her left, his thumb caressing the top of her hand. "And…well, the moment I kissed you back at the dorm…I just couldn't get over how much I really missed you. I just – I love you Quinn, _that_ much."

"So much that your member is erecting."

The girl giggled. She really wished she hadn't looked down at Joe's legs. She knew how embarrassed it made Joe when he had to talk about those type of issues. On the flipside, though, she loved seeing him blush his poor cheeks out.

Joe had made that gassy, shy baby face he made every time he got embarrassed about something. Quinn, other than the other two members of The God Squad and her mother, was the only one that knew about his excited, dirty south pole on his body. He prayed that Quinn wouldn't notice that.

Quinn awed, bringing her hands up to Joe's red face and smoothing out his tense cheeks and dimples. "I'm sorry. It's alright, though. I wouldn't have teased you about it if it ever happened again."

Joe felt that he had a lot of friends that had his back about many things. Quinn had his back on things like this. The kind of things he wouldn't discuss with his parents or anyone at school about.

He felt more uncomfortable when he had that feeling beneath him, and students at McKinley would joke behind his back. No one had ever done it before, but he couldn't help but imagine if they did. Facing his junior year of high school would be tougher than he thought.

Immediately, Quinn's lips met again with Joe's. His eyes closed shut and allowed the blonde's tongue to slip inside his mouth. His mind was sending electricity through his body. His hands had a mind of their own and ghosted up to Quinn's shoulders, smoothing them out and eventually heading towards her neck.

Every intimidating thought of junior went away just like that.

Joe sent light moans out of his mouth as Quinn bit onto his bottom lip. He hoped he didn't get too out of control and let out louder orgasms. He still did remember he was in a coffee shop after all.

But Quinn's kisses were the best he's experience. Having her around made him less tense, and gave him more confidence. They sure did assure each other in so many ways.

_I don't have anything to worry about_.

* * *

_Author's Note: Guys, I am really sorry about this. I've been extraordinarily busy this week - well, all month, actually. I think this is almost halfway done. I may have to change the ratings as the story continues. Things will get serious...and it may be a bad thing. Anyway, I hope you've enjoyed this chapter. Love the reviews. Thank you._


	33. Chapter 32

Chapter Thirty-Two

Nothing seemed much normal today. Actually, nothing was really normal about yesterday, the day before – hell, even the couple of weeks before.

It has been three and a half weeks since school started back at McKinley High School. A couple of things that were normal about those past days were the moaning students roaming the halls with their new and clean – or possibly old and dirty – backpacks on their backs, the lunches, some of the teachers, and so on.

Of course, the incoming freshmen were not normal. Well, they were, but they seemed to have come in and changed the places of the seniors that have graduated the previous school year.

Glee club was definitely not normal. Members such as Sam Evans, Blaine Anderson, and Artie Abrams were still there. But half of the Glee club graduated, and it was a lot harder to find new members. People like Mercedes Jones and Santana Lopez had wonderful voices that couldn't compare to anyone else's in New Directions.

However, New Directions did happen to rustle up two more members: Marley Rose and Jake Puckerman. Both seemed to be pretty neat in Joe's eyes. Marley was pretty, and Jake was laid-back and fitting in with everyone else.

Still, not one new member that came to New Directions could possibly measure up to who the club has had last school year. Not even to Quinn Fabray.

Joe had only saw her a couple of days ago on a Saturday, but it felt like it's been since over the summer – relatively two months or so? Still, he missed her bad. Things didn't really settle just yet in New Directions. It was still a good thing that Marley and Jake joined the group, but still.

The lonesome dreadlocked boy would hide his loneliness with a smile on his face, and act positively towards the other members of New Directions. He didn't want them to assume something was wrong with him. He was usually a proud, free-spirited guy anyway.

However, there would be days where he'd sit off on the side somewhere – still near everyone else, but towards one side than the other – and contain himself from the somewhat commotion and the discussions about set lists and performances and stuff. Glee club time, other than lunch and before and after school, was the only time he could have moments to himself.

And most of those moments were spent on thinking about what his girlfriend would be doing right then in Yale University.

Joe often prayed to stop doing that, because it just drew him away from what's going on in the real world in school. He had to get good grades while he still attended McKinley. He was never a high school freshman in his life, nor an overall student in elementary school, and he wanted to get into a decent college after these next two years.

While it frustrated him to keep daydreaming and possibly worrying about Quinn, it was still the truth. He wished he was either Quinn's age now and graduated with her, or she was his age and still in this choir room at this very second.

Unfortunately, God proved to him that no one can always get what they want.

Joe was sitting in the back row of the choir room between Sam Evans and Jake Puckerman, eyeing the other members of New Directions, when the curly-haired brunette by the name of Will Schuester walked in the room.

"Alright, guys. Few announcements." As he first spoke, everyone was quiet from their conversations amongst themselves. "First off, I know we got off on the wrong foot with the pep assembly performances –"

Joe glanced at a blonde girl sitting in front of him a couple of rows down, the girl's hand raised up in the air.

"I propose that we shall not speak of that ever again, for it may go down in McKinley's history books and the New Directions may be scarred for life. Like I stated before, I apologize for my actions."

Artie, also in the front row, nodded in agreement. "Yes, it's better we move on from that."

Joe had remembered how bad he felt for Brittany after realizing that she had to repeat her senior year of high school. Her girlfriend was down in Kentucky somewhere, and their relationship got a little rocky at the couple of weeks of school starting.

Right around that time, Brittany had also been kicked off the Cheerios. Ever since that, she's been depressed and stuffing her face each day. It was pretty difficult to bring up her spirits again. She behaved and performed poorly when the Glee club was to do "Gimme More" at the pep assembly.

The boos from the many people in the audience still made Joe's ears ring just a little.

Mr. Schue agreed with a nod towards Brittany and Artie's comments. "Yes, it is." He had almost forgot what he was going to say, and glanced back at the papers that were in his hands. "But this is our chance to do better than what we've done back then."

The members of New Directions started mumbling in anticipation amongst each other.

"New Directions have the permission to perform at McKinley's homecoming dance," Mr. Schue announced, in which most of the members applauded to. "If you'll be attending the homecoming dance and you wish to perform a song, send me your song choice for approval."

Joe knew nothing of homecoming dances. He heard a lot of speculation about the game, and that Sam Evans had signed back up for football. He invited Joe to see the game, and maybe hang out afterwards. That would probably be a good idea to keep his mind off of –

No. No, it wasn't.

Sam was Joe's best friend, that's true. But he was in the God Squad with Quinn and Mercedes last year. Everything's starting to remind Joe of the blonde college girl. His mind was out of focus this year.

Back when Teen Jesus was at the Scent N' Steam with his girlfriend, he thought he didn't have to worry about anything. He's settling in nicely with Sam, the remaining members, and some new Glee clubbers. He isn't melancholy each day now that he knew he got every opportunity to see her.

But he just won't stop thinking about her.

Joe had slipped an Honors Trigonometry homework sheet out of one of his folders and deadpanned at the grade at the top.

It was a C minus.

He could do better than this. He wasn't at his best in math, but he learned a couple of tricks when he was still homeschooled. In fact, he thought he did better when he was homeschooled than in public school. He would get more help from his parents and tutor, and there weren't as many tests as public school did.

Joe looked back at the worksheet again. He knew most of the content on it. He even brought the book home, and had a little tutoring session with Sugar Motta and Artie Abrams. How could –

He suddenly remembered what he was doing then.

Sam had let him borrow his portable MP3 player that day, along with a Whitney Houston CD Mercedes had left behind for him. Ever since Whitney Houston week in the Glee club, "Saving All My Love For You" had been Joe's go-to song when he had – or thought he had – free time from school work.

And the day he had it with him, he had only filled in about three questions out of about twenty.

It was such a rush, and a pain in the butt, to have to receive the answers from Sugar the next day. It didn't help anyways, because she too was distracted the day before the homework was to be turned in, and missed about six problems.

That was Joe's first C minus he had gotten since he came to public school. He had gotten Cs before, but they were usually high – relatively around an eighty-four or something. His mother wasn't that disappointed, but she expected better from her son.

Joe expected better for himself, too. He's so far behind from everyone else, and that's not just with school work. Never had he went to elementary school. Never had he heard of any of these musical influences the other Glee club members have. Never had he lived the average American teenager's life. He was absorbing all of these good, but nerve-wracking, feelings. Like he would with the scent inside a fresh, new car.

He had to do something about all of this. He was going to make it right, whether Quinn Fabray was on his mind or not.

* * *

Once Glee was over, the members had left the choir room to get ready to leave. Some other students for tutoring, basketball and volleyball practice, and swim try-outs had been roaming the school while Glee continued.

Joe made it to his locker. It was closer to the floor, but he didn't mind at all. It took him a while to memorize the locker combination, though. Mercedes, Quinn, and Sam all had to help him try at one point when all four members of the God Squad were still here. Mostly it was Quinn trying to work it out. He probably would've forgotten the combination by now.

He opened the locker door and retrieved some books he needed for homework. He had so much to work on. First off was that damn Geometry, followed by some discombobulating problems for Chemistry. There wasn't much for his Latin class, and he felt some type of freedom knowing that English and History were out of the equation.

And then, just when he thought everything was calm and set, he felt himself stiffen beneath his groin area.

Even when he just directed his eyes towards the picture of him and Quinn at the amusement park before graduation, all sinful thoughts of the college blonde would always come back. Well, not so much thoughts; let's say his dirty body just wants to have a mind of its own.

Joe gritted his teeth and closed his eyes shut. This was so embarrassing. Can't something else happen having to do with his feelings for her besides his privates poking into his jeans?

He was just glad he wasn't walking anywhere when it happened. He would hate to get teased by it. It was a natural thing, sure; but he's heard stories of people being bullied…and he definitely didn't want to be those guys.

"Dude, you alright?"

The dreadlocked boy looked on the corner of his left eye. Sam Evans was standing behind him, already having his backpack and books intact. This only made it even more embarrassing than it was a couple of seconds. Joe could feel something unusual in his stomach, triggering his nerves. Had he been standing there long? Had he seen Joe erect?

Joe turned back to his locker and shrugged. "I guess."

However, Sam pretty much knew what was going to know. "You still thinking about Fabray?"

Teen Jesus furrowed his brows at him. "How do you know if I am?"

"Duh." Sam's pointed down near Joe's legs from where he stood. He may not be in Joe's body nor know if he was having another erection or not; but he could tell by the way his face tensed up and sometimes made that gassy baby face. "I already know about you. You miss her bad, I can tell."

He might as well face facts: Joe misses her – _loves_ her, actually – and his feelings for her just won't go away. He can't just cover up pictures of her, stop listening to songs that relate to their relationship, nor prevent someone – whether in the Glee club or not – from talking about her. Quinn's just going to come into his mind anyway no matter what happened.

The dreadlocked boy shook his head in defeat. "I know," he finally said, retrieving his books and bag and closing his locker. "It's just – well – you know how free time is sometimes a distraction to school work and stuff, right?"

The blonde boy shrugged, walking beside Joe down the hall. "Yeah…except I don't believe that most of the time."

Of course someone like Sam Evans would say that.

"Well…it's Quinn that's the distraction, to me. Don't get me wrong; it's a good kind of distraction, because she's my first and only girlfriend, and I wouldn't ever want to forget about her and stuff. But…well, I'm kinda slipping in a couple of classes. I just can't stop thinking about her, Sam. I miss her."

There was some sudden lump in his throat just talking about her. How come that was happening? How come he wasn't holding the blonde girl's hand right now.

Sam should know all of this. After all, he was still hanging out with Mercedes, whether it was on the phone or face-to-face. They had a really bittersweet relationship from what Joe was seeing. They just wouldn't stop looking at each other. If that wasn't true love, Joe wouldn't want to know what was.

Why did long-distance relationships have to ruin everything?

The senior male placed his hand on Teen Jesus's shoulder. "Joe, I get it. You miss Quinn so much, and you wish you could wrap your arms around her and stuff. Fine."

"Actually, I never said –"

"That's what you thought."

Joe cursed him out in his brain for that sudden response.

"Anyway," Sam continued, still walking down the hall beside his Christian friend, clenching his shoulder with his fist, "you want to focus on school and stuff, right? You're just like me: I can't keep my mind off Mercedes for one minute, the way you can't keep your mind off Quinn. I told myself I'd be helping Mike and Finn with a couple of tires, but I ended up texting Mercedes about job offers and college applications."

After receiving that pass to New Haven from Quinn's mother, Joe had to admit that he and Sam were very alike on those terms. Every weekend he'd go down there to see the girl. And on weekdays, he would wait for the day he was able to actually go down there. Was he that paranoid or something?

"Seriously?"

"Yeah, dude."

Joe shrugged as-a-matter-of-factly. "Well, I visit Quinn every weekend, and I don't stop calling her, either –"

"Exactly my point," Sam interrupted at that second. They both stopped, with Sam turning towards the dreadlocked boy. "Look, we love our girlfriends. That's already a known fact."

Joe nodded in agreement.

"They're off in college now, though," Sam continued. "They're living lives we won't be in for a little while. In your case, it'll be two years."

"Well, that's true."

Sam sighed at him. "Joe…we're gonna do this, alright. I mean, we have hearts like the rest of the world, right? But we also have futures. And Mercedes and Quinn…they'll always be ours, at least in here, right?" At this, he hovered his right hand over the left side of his upper chest where his heart lay.

Joe can't just let go of her like that. Not after what they've been through. Quinn was everything to him ever since they've been friends and hung out. God Squad, their first kiss, the Whitney tribute, the family movie night, prom. Joe's sophomore year of high school couldn't get any better than that. And it was only his first year of public school.

Now she was in Connecticut somewhere, slaving away over some more difficult work the Yale professors were providing for her. She had a new roommate – a pretty pleasant one that seemed very energetic, sweet, and welcoming – along with some other friends she's met around campus. She'll be leisurely moping around; only she'll be lonely if Bethany ever plans on leaving somewhere.

Teen Jesus couldn't risk losing Quinn. She was one of the nicest girls he's ever met. He would offer anything he had, even his whole life, to get her whatever she needs to move on forward, be successful, and make himself as available as he can.

On the contrary, though, he had priorities. His grades were slipping, and his parents wouldn't want their son to come up and hear about the phone call they've received about Joe missing problems in another homework assignment. Joe has hardly spent that much time in public school for that long, and college was important for life.

Joe's parents wanted the best for their son. They brought him out to experience the world, and there was so much he was to learn about what was going on. He didn't know half of what happened in the world, except for what happened when Jesus Christ was walking the earth.

It was a hard thing for the dreadlocked boy to consider; but like his friend, Sam said, Quinn will be in his heart. Besides, it's not like she'll be gone forever. They still had their weekends and school breaks to spend time with each other.

"I guess so," Joe finally hesitated. Sam did mean well, though. Maybe this was the right thing to do after all.

Sam put his hand back on Joe's shoulder, looking him in the eye. "Trust me, man. We're both gonna do this together." Joe mildly smiled. "And hey, we can populate the God Squad more. We're the only two members left, and more people need to follow Christ, right?"

Joe nodded. "The Lord will guide anyone through, I know."

Sam grinned some more. He had high hopes for this guy. There was no way he was going to back out now.

"See, you got it, man!" the blonde boy encouraged, punching the boy in his arm. Joe playfully laughed and punched him back lightly. They joined in with each other's chuckles and laughter.

Sam calmed himself down and led Joe down the hall to the front entrance. "What do you say? God Squad sign-ups go up tomorrow?"

Joe couldn't take the grin off his face. He has three things about McKinley High School that he won't ever lose: the God Squad, his best bro, and his first girlfriend ever since he transferred into public school. Without them, he wouldn't know how he would've become who he was now.

"Totally, bro."

He wasn't going to lose anything, he was pretty sure.


End file.
